t of the best, and hes always been considered one of the best lightweights in mixed martial arts, Brooks said. When we

Remember that time when Kevin Pietersen danced down the pitch to Shane Warne and was stumped, and the umpire asked Ricky Ponting to withdraw the appeal? Of course you dont, because it didnt happen, and the very idea of it happening is absurd. Why, then, do umpires continue to pressure fielding captains to reconsider appeals for the so-called Mankad dismissal, the act of a bowler running out a non-striker who is backing up?How are the situations any different, really? In both cases the batsman is attempting to gain advantage, in one by reaching the pitch of the ball and negating spin, in the other by reducing the distance he must cover to complete a run. A wicketkeeper who stumps a batsman is lauded for his sharp work, yet an eagle-eyed bowler who mankads is usually condemned as unsporting.In 2011, the ICC made it easier for bowlers to effect such a dismissal. Previously the bowler had to take the bails off before entering his delivery stride. This is still the case under the MCCs Laws of Cricket, but the ICC adapted its playing conditions to allow the act before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing. It was a clear and deliberate move to keep batsmen accountable.But umpires have undermined the regulation by victimising bowlers who are only trying to stop batsmen sneaking an advantage. Consider these two recent examples.Last February in an ODI at the SCG, Lahiru Thirimanne continually left his crease far too early. R Ashwin warned Thirimanne and when the batsman kept doing it, Ashwin ran him out. Instead of raising his finger, the umpire, Paul Reiffel, consulted his square-leg colleague and asked Indias captain, Virender Sehwag, if he wanted to go through with the appeal.In doing so, Reiffel implicitly suggested Ashwins act of removing the bail was underhanded. It told the crowd India were borderline cheats, made Thirimanne think his behaviour was okay, and placed undue pressure on Sehwag, who ended up withdrawing a legitimate appeal. Thirimanne batted on, continued to back up unfairly, scored 62 and set up a Sri Lankan victory.Later in 2012, Surreys Murali Kartik mankaded Somersets Alex Barrow during a County Championship match. Like Ashwin, Kartik had warned the batsman, though he wasnt compelled to do so. Still, the umpire, Peter Hartley, wasnt happy. He asked the fielding captain, Gareth Batty, three times if he would withdraw the appeal. Rightly, Batty refused, and later Surrey were booed off the field.Reiffel and Hartley should simply have raised a finger, as they would for any other run-out, but instead they added to the ill-feeling by suggesting the bowler was in the wrong. The ICCs playing condition 42.11 explicitly states that a mankad is fair. An additional clause should be added to state that an umpire must not consult the fielding captain before making his decision, unless the conversation is instigated by the captain.Certainly a mankad is no less fair than when a strikers straight drive rockets through the bowlers hands and hits the stumps with the non-striker out of his ground. Of course, umpires rightly treat that as they do a regulation run-out. Just as they should with the mankad. Jevon Carter Suns Jersey . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Mikal Bridges Suns Jersey . 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Its difficult enough to make a UFC debut on three weeks notice, but Will Brooks (18-1) had the added pressure of entering the Octagon eight days before his wedding.Brooks beat Ross Pearson (19-12, 1 NC) by unanimous decision on July 8 at the The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, then hopped on a plane the next day to fly from Las Vegas to his home in South Florida. He packed his car, then drove 22 hours to Chicago to get married that next Saturday.My wife is a warrior, Brooks said. She took it like was nothing. She just rolled with it. She was like, All right. Lets win, and lets go get married.And, even without a full camp, thats exactly what they did.Now, in his second UFC fight, Ill Will will face Alex Cowboy Oliveira (14-4-1) in the co-main event of the Oct. 1 card in Portland, Oregon.I feel so much better, Brooks said. Being able to take my time and eat through a camp and not just rush it has been a huge benefit.I cant wait to get out there, put all those skills on display in the best shape that I could be in and show people how its supposed to look when Im locked in mentally, physically and emotionally.It would have been fair to add a short notice footnote to Brooks debut against Pearson -- but marketability and trajectory arent built on fairness. And while Brooks never lost control to Pearson, he never appeared close to finishing the Brit. The three judges awarded the first two rounds to Brooks and the third to Pearson, when Brooks says the effects of a steep weight cut began show.It had been an eventful two months leading into Brooks debut that began with Bellator granting his release in mid-May. He signed a six-fight contract with the UFC five weeks later and was left with just 23 days to prepare for that first scheduled fight against Pearson.It was an odd training camp, he said. Especially being all excited about finally accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself and wanting to kind of celebrate that.But then you have to turn around and realize that, Oh, man. Theres a guy that wants to play spoiler to that.Brooks said he felt disappointed with some aspects of his debut performance, but came away satisfied with a win, all things considered.His next opponent, Oliveira, has won four of his past five fights, but only one came at lightweight. Primarily participating at welterweight in his career, Oliveira will have a six-inch reach advantage Saturday. Nine of his 14 wins came by knockout, and he holds aa blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.dddddddddddd.Hes got a lot of athleticism, said Brooks, nearly a 3-to-1 favorite. Hes very loose. He clearly enjoys fighting, so it makes him get out there and kind of freestyle things a little bit more.But overall, I think Im just ready to beat him in every aspect of mixed martial arts ... I cant see him beating me anywhere.Brooks has made no secret of intentions to claim the UFC lightweight title, currently held by Eddie Alvarez (28-4). After beating Pearson in July, he planted a promotional seed by warning Alvarez to hold onto that belt in the postfight interview.In a sport with inherent subjectivity -- and in its deepest weight class -- fighters welcome any reason to cut in line for title consideration. But Brooks is in the fortuitous position of sharing parallels with Alvarez. They both left Bellator as its lightweight champion. Theyre the only fighters to have beaten that promotions current champ, Michael Chandler (15-3). They even held identical 10-1 records in their stints there.While reluctant to compare careers, even the favorable similarities, Brooks considers an in-cage meeting against Alvarez inevitable.Ive always had the goal of beating the best of the best, and hes always been considered one of the best lightweights in mixed martial arts, Brooks said. When we get our date to dance in the cage -- and I promise you we will -- Ill put on a display that my skill set and my abilities are somewhere far beyond his.Whether Brooks can bump draft off Alvarez in the meantime depends on his performance Saturday and in subsequent fights -- he made a point to call out Michael Johnson after Johnsons knockout Sept. 17 of Brooks teammate Dustin Poirier.Some consider lightweight the hardest division to climb. Brooks thinks he stands to benefit from the clutter, especially if he dazzles at the Moda Center.Right now, theres an opening, said Brooks, who turns 30 seven days after the Oliveira fight. Theres no one making themselves out to be a front-runner superstar in the lightweight division.These guys, in my opinion, are trying to duck each other and figure out how to get themselves to the title without having to do the hard work to get there. I dont think any of them carry themselves like they have that X factor. Im the guy who has that X factor. 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