ice until she filed suit more than two years later. Los Ang

Whatever else one might say about the present sublime-to-ridiculous-and-back-again waywardness of the England team, however much those shuddering odds of 4-1 on India finally wreaking vengeance for 1959 by taking the Tests 5-0 over the coming weeks depress those of us hunkering down for winter, they assuredly dont do dull or predictable with any competence.No passage of play this year, for this observer, matched the second morning at Newlands when Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow butchered their way to a Test sixth-wicket record, but even then, such are this columns treacherous traits, the feeble response of the bowlers induced a measure of queasiness. The see-saw nature of the summer series against Pakistan was more rewarding, producing a result as just as it was almost impossible to forecast from one match to the next. Then came that palpitating rubber in Bangladesh, and especially the Mirpur Test, where the advantage swung between sessions like a pendulum on steroids and the final day was akin to a prolonged cocaine trip. Nor did the Perth Test lose much by comparison. Never mind the quality, feel the tension, the suspense and the human frailty.Why do we watch sport? To be stimulated, roused, distracted from quotidian matters, yes, but ultimately we want it to lift our hearts and make us smile. For those with a strictly vested interest, granted, the nature of the contest takes a distant second place to the result, but the sheer length of time we are exposed to the skills of the opposition makes cricket unique. Admiration for anyone who is doing their utmost to destroy your day might not come easy, but come it can. Home crowds may not applaud visitors boundaries as respectfully or politely as they once did, but applaud they do.How intriguing, then, to follow the recent Mirpur Test in tandem with baseballs World Series, the finale of which was hailed as one of the greatest games the sport has ever witnessed. For all its hypnotic theatrical qualities and historical subtext (the Chicago Cubs had not won the trophy for 108 years, the Cleveland Indians for 68), this widespread appraisal seemed a trifle hyperbolic because the game lacked one crucial ingredient: there was no true ebb and flow. The Cubs, who won 8-7, opened their account in the first inning and never trailed, completing a comeback that saw them become only the sixth team ever to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven Series. The whole, however, was a good deal better than the sum of its parts, though most of the games were bloodless, rarely altering the viewers mood.The Bangladesh series was much more of a rollercoaster ride, culminating in a final day in Mirpur that epitomised everything that spectator sport offers. The first session found England creating and spurning chances, pegging back Bangladesh yet never dimming the batsmens exuberance as a healthy lead and a fearless mindset assumed panic-inducing proportions for the fielding side. Then, after lunch, it was suddenly, increasingly, all England, three wickets followed by an often forceful century opening stand. Then, lo and behold, came that thunderous clatter of skittles that turned match and nation on its head for one last, joyous time.The first three days of the Perth Test were barely less engrossing. Divining the eventual outcome after day one would have defied Nostradamus. South Africa buckled early in the face of a hostile attack and a bouncy strip, regained credibility through Quinton de Kocks infectious freedom from caution, then lost Dale Steyn while suffering one of those onslaughts that make David Warner the planets most intimidating opener. That they proceeded to take 10 for 86, and ultimately command for good as JP Duminy matched de Kock for percussive positivity, could be attributed to nothing more radical than the benefits of a good nights sleep, but Faf du Plessis apparent ability to pick chins up from the floor will certainly have done his long-term captaincy claims a power of good.In both these matches, not unnaturally, ran flaws aplenty, triggered by pressure and nerves and abrupt bouts of individual and collective self-doubt. At times we might have been watching school XIs go toe to toe. Did that detract from the buzz or the glow? Not from this neck of the woods, not for a nanosecond.It all comes back to what we crave from sport. Do we want our spines tingled, our senses delighted or our brains stimulated? Do we only want to see our team succeed, or is the priority witnessing quality regardless of origin? Its never remotely that clear-cut, of course. Were greedy and we want the lot. But what the hell; lets ask ourselves this: whats more vital to our continued custom - excellence or drama?Lets start by considering what we have lost this decade already by way of undeniable skill. To gauge the burden on the best contemporary acts one has only to rummage through the Wisden Guide to International Cricket from just five years ago, a roll call of the then-active that encompasses an extraordinary number of titans. Bidding adieu to VVS Laxman, Michael Clarke, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Daniel Vettori, Zaheer Khan, Mitchell Johnson and Graeme Swann would have been bad enough but then there were Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Rahul Dravid, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Muttiah Muralitharan. Finding even half-adequate substitutes for that little lot was always going to take time.Of the current brand leaders, nonetheless, it is far from impossible to envisage Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, AB de Villiers, R Ashwin, Kane Williamson and Mitchell Starc all matching James Anderson, Alastair Cook and Dale Steyn as major record-breakers. What is especially heartening is how wide the talent is spread. According to the ICC rankings, the top 14 Test batsmen after the end of the Bangladesh-England series were drawn from seven nations, while the top 15 bowlers represented one more. Come centurys end, the following World XI could span nine: Quinton de Kock (SA, wkt), Kane Williamson (NZ), Joe Root (Eng), Virat Kohli (India, capt), Kusal Mendis (SL), Ben Stokes (Eng), Mitchell Starc (Aus), Yasir Shah (Pak), Kagiso Rabada (SA), Mehedi Hasan (Bang), Alzarri Joseph (WI). Then there are those topsy-turvy team rankings, crying out as they do for a proper world Test championship but encouraging for all that. At the end of the Bangladesh-England series the top seven were separated by a comparatively piffling 24 rating points, with the leadership having changed hands between four sides five times this year. Compare that with the 74 months Australia spent atop the table from its 2003 inception, since when no team has managed more than 21 months and five have reached No. 1. Whether this betokens a levelling down or up is as subjective as it gets.The same could be asked of statistics. Of the ten Test partnership records, four have been overhauled this decade and six since the start of 2006, only twice at the expense of the three weakest nations. Congested schedules might have a greater impact on bowlers than batsmen, but by the same token, arent we supposed to be living in an age of ever-shortening attention spans?Besides, excellence itself can be contestable. Sure, nobody can argue with Steyns astonishing strike rate or de Villiers versatility, but the range of climates and pitch conditions means that other feats are less clear-cut. How much store do we place by Ashwins 220 scalps in 39 Tests when 70% of those have come in India, 21 have come at nearly 55 apiece in Australia, and his appearances in England and South Africa amount to three? Injuries, too, can distort. Was Stokes 258 against South Africa the work of a man inspired or the product of an attack shorn of Steyn and Philander?Then theres the sort of excellence that negates, even destroys, all vestiges of an even contest, sapping then draining it of drama. Australia under Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting beat opponents before the toss; ditto the West Indies sides guided by Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. Thrill as we did to such talent, the absence of resistance underlined how deeply cricket of all sports, because of the time it takes to anoint a winner, is damaged by the slings and arrows of outrageous one-sidedness.On that score were in a better place now, but what of the future? Given that technology now allows so many of us to watch matches from a neutral standpoint, the need for vibrant, compelling games has never been greater, which is why those dwindling TV audiences in Australia for last years Boxing Day Test against West Indies, and the purported reason, should be of major concern. The broadcaster blamed indifferent cricket, and now we have on the table the ICCs adventurous and mostly spiffing plans for two Test conferences of six teams apiece, as outlined on this site by Tim Wigmore. If elevated to Test status without becoming Full Members, Ireland and Afghanistan would probably take every bit as long as Bangladesh to pass muster against the big boys, but by them playing each other (and Zimbabwe) there ought to be a greater preponderance of competitive cricket, which should permit confidence to bloom.The question for this brave new world is ultimately this: will the unpredictability and the drama compensate for the lower quality and eventually raise standards? Heart may be rather more certain than head, but this profoundly anachronistic game of ours has defied the doom-mongers for far too long not to be optimistic. Nike React Online Uk . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Nike React Clearance . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. http://www.nikereactukclearance.com/ . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Nike React Shoes Uk .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Nike React Uk Release . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. LOS ANGELES -- NBA star Derrick Rose testified Friday in a lawsuit accusing him and two friends of raping his ex-girlfriend, saying he interpreted a text message from the woman as consent to have sex with her later that night.Their text message exchange in August 2013 started with a text from the woman to Rose, saying he was the reason she wakes up horny. She included a photo of herself in her nightshirt and continued the exchange with other texts about sex throughout the day.Rose said Friday he surmised that the initial text had triggered consent from that point on, and said his assumption was reinforced by their sexual history, sex acts she engaged in with him and one of his friends that night at his house, and an invitation hours later to her apartment.I was assuming that all of us going over there that she wanted to have sex with all of us, Rose testified.His description of the incident differed dramatically from the womans testimony, which lasted a day and a half in Los Angeles federal court.The 30-year-old woman denied having sex earlier in the evening at Roses Beverly Hills mansion, although she also said she blacked out and could only piece together the evening through short flashes of memory and by reviewing a flurry of text messages she was able to send despite being drunk and possibly drugged.At the end of Fridays testimony, Roses lawyer asked the judge to declare a mistrial because of a profane text message that he said the womans lawyers had failed to reveal until Friday.The judge said he would take up the issue Tuesday morning before the Knicks point guard is scheduled to resume testimony. The judge ordered Rose to return to the stand even if it means missing a preseason game the night before in New York.Rose, 28, was called to the stand by the plaintiffs lawyer on Friday as a hostile witness to help make the plaintiffs case that the woman never gave consent to have sex with him and his longtime friends and assistants, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen.Consent is the main issue for the jury of six women and two men. The defendants, all friends since their adolescence in Chicago, have denied the allegations and said the woman consented.ESPN is not naming the woman because it generally does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault.Rose said the only time the woman said, Stop, was after she let the three men into her apartment and they all headed for the bedroom together.She told us, One at a time, Rose testified. He said that he and Hampton waited on the sofa while Allen was in the bedroom.The woman testified she never let the men into her place and remembers waking to see them all in her bedroom. She recalled Allen on top of her at one point and, at another, Rose pulling her to the side of the bed as she tried to roll off.ddddddddddddRose said he never received any text message from the woman telling him she wanted to have sex with him and the two others. He said he assumed consent from what had transpired previously and the fact that she had never told him no.In my mind, she consented every time we had sex. Why wouldnt she do it that time? he said.The plaintiffs attorney, Waukeen McCoy, suggested Rose had no remorse about the night in question.Im sensitive to it, Rose replied, but added, I feel I didnt do anything wrong.Rose hadnt seen the woman since breaking up months earlier but invited her over for drinks that night. She came with a friend, and after a shot or two of tequila, she became sexually aggressive, which turned him off, Rose said.Rose retreated to his room, where he rebuffed further advances until a friend removed her from the room, he testified.About 20 minutes later, he said, he walked outside and saw Hampton having sex with her by the side of the pool, and she pulled Rose over to join them, although he broke away and returned to his room.Rose said the woman was acting a bit abnormally but he didnt think she was drunk.Rose said he once had feelings for the woman and thought they had a bond. He was once asked whether he thought she was after his money.Not at that time, he said Friday.Defense lawyers have suggested the woman sued for financial gain. The lawsuit seeks $21.5 million.The woman denied she was motivated by money in filing the suit, saying: I didnt wish him any harm; I wanted him to be accountable.The woman didnt report the incident to police until she filed suit more than two years later. Los Angeles police still have an open investigation.Also Friday, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said he is unsure whether Rose will play in Saturdays preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.Hornacek said the decision about whether Rose plays will be Roses. The Knicks have home games against the Nets on Saturday and the Washington Wizards on Monday.He has to take care of his business. If hes got to stay there and get it done, go through that process, and then come back and be focused on basketball, its up to him, Hornacek said. Were allowing him to take care of that. And when he comes back, well be ready.Hornacek acknowledged that not having Rose around the team might affect his ability to learn the Knicks new offense. He said Rose is missing the aspects of the offense that coaches have installed the past two days.He understands the game, so he should be picking it up pretty quickly, Hornacek said.ESPNs Ian Begley and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '