Gästeforum » The pair led a group of four which finished at

Opening night of the baseball playoffs provided some great theatre, assuming you could stay awake long enough to watch.That the 12th-inning win by Kansas City over Oakland took nearly five hours to play highlights a problem baseball still has to address. Still, the return to small ball in a sport plagued by steroids should be celebrated just as much as the first post-season win by the Royals in 29 years.But as Bud Selig prepares to take a victory lap on behalf of the owners he represented so well, there are issues he hasnt handled nearly as well. While the game is awash in cash that is making both owners and players richer than ever, it has become increasingly marginalized as a national sport as attendance sags in some cities and television ratings continue to sink.Incoming commissioner Rob Manfred has a chance to do something about that. As the playoffs begin, here are a few suggestions to help the grand old game:HIRE VINNY a€” Clayton Kershaw may get the Dodgers in the World Series all by himself, but how about giving us a treat once theyre there? Put Vin Scully in the broadcast booth for Game 1 and let of the rest of the nation find out why the 86-year-old announcer is so revered in Southern California. Let Scully work alone as always and spin stories, like the time in 1956 he called Don Larsens perfect game at Yankee Stadium on NBC and was afraid to say much more than Strike 3 because he had been told the new medium would tell the story. Nothing to lose, because World Series ratings have been sinking for decades now.SET THINGS STRAIGHT a€” Selig will be gone in January, which is probably a good thing for baseball. Selig did what commissioners are supposed to do, which is make owners money and get taxpayers to build new ballparks. But he turned a blind eye to the steroid scandal and will leave office still thinking Barry Bonds is the career home run leader. The new commissioner should on his first day of the job declare any offensive mark set between 1988 (Jose Cansecos heyday) and today void simply because they cant be believed.ALL STARS a€” If Manfred still has time on his first day he should abolish Seligs rule giving the league that wins the All-Star game home-field advantage in the World Series. The desperate attempt to make the All-Star game meaningful in some way was a joke from the beginning.SOLVE THE DH a€” Either ban the designated hitter all together or make it mandatory in the National League, too. No other sport plays by different rules in different divisions, but baseball hasnt figured out the DH dilemma since it was introduced in the American League 41 years ago. Its an issue in the post-season when AL pitchers are ill-prepared to hit in NL parks, and NL rosters are not built with a slugger to plug in the middle of the lineup.FIX INSTANT REPLAY a€” Baseball was a latecomer to the instant replay party, but got it mostly right in its inaugural season. What needs to go away is the dance that has developed when managers come out of the dugout to stall while getting word whether to appeal a call or not.LET PETE IN a€” Its way past time to allow Pete Rose back into the game. Seligs refusal to revisit the subject of the hits king doesnt make sense anymore, if it ever did. Rose has more than served his time for betting on games, yet his only connection to the game remains signing baseballs in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, others who have disgraced baseball by using steroids are working in dugouts and keep appearing on Hall of Fame ballots.SPEED THINGS UP a€” In one of his final acts in office, Selig formed a committee to come up with recommendations to speed up games that now top out at an average of more than three hours apiece. No committee needed because its mostly common sense. Make batters stay in the box; dont let pitchers stroll from the mound. Add to that some batting gloves that dont need to be constantly adjusted, and the game will suddenly be a half hour shorter.ONE SONG IS ENOUGH a€” Playing the national anthem before the game is a time-honoured tradition that began in baseball and has been embraced by almost every sport. But is there really a need for another song during the seventh-inning stretch to remind us we live in the greatest country on earth? God Bless America is a fine tune, but fans buy tickets for a baseball game, not a patriotic rally.CELEBRATE KERSHAW a€” Hes most often compared to Sandy Koufax, but it may not be long before Clayton Kershaw is the one that others are compared to. Hes an artist on the mound, with four straight ERA titles, and will likely be the National League MVP as well as Cy Young winner. Hes also the highest paid pitcher in the game, but he and his wife are heavy into charitable activities, including building an orphanage in Africa. About the only thing Kershaw hasnt done is pitch well deep into the post-season. Get that done this year and lot of people will be celebrating along with him.___Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Basketball Shoes Cheap Australia . Hernandez (3-0) struck out 11 and shut down Oakland for the second time in a week, becoming the first Mariners pitcher to win three times in the first nine games of a season. With the usual "Kings Court" for Hernandez home starts expanded to a "Supreme Court" encompassing the entire stadium with yellow shirts and "K" cards, Hernandez gave up four hits in the 28th double-digit strikeout game of his career. Wholesale Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. http://www.cheapbasketballshoesaustralia.com/. - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Basketball Shoes Online Store Australia . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. Basketball Shoes Australia Online .I dont think it comes to mind in this business, in this game, the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. You dont try to lose games.ATZENBRUGG, Austria - Englands Adam Gee and Swedens Mikael Lundberg shot 5-under 67 to share a one-stroke lead on a windy and cloudy opening day of the Lyoness Open on Thursday. Starting on the back nine, Gee eagled the par-4 14th hole but bogeyed the 18th before carding three birdies on the front nine. Lundberg hit six birdies and lost a stroke on the par-3 second. The Swede, who came through the European Tour Qualifying School for a third straight year, is looking for his first title since winning the Russian Open for a second time in 2008. Lundberg said hes improved since working with new coach Neil Jordan: "I am more solid from the tee onto the green. You have to be careful out there, and dont take unnecessary chances." The pair led a group of four which finished at 4 under, including Wales Rhys Davies, Englands Richard Finch and Mattew BBaldwin, and American Berry Henson.dddddddddddd Defending champion Joost Luiten from the Netherlands hit three birdies in his opening four holes. Later, however, he struggled to hit the fairways and dropped to 1 over before finishing his round level par with his fourth birdie on the 17th. Miguel Angel Jimenez overcame three bogeys in the first eight holes to card a 2-under 70. The 50-year-old Spaniard, who resides in Vienna since marrying an Austrian in May, is seeking his third win of the season. Starting on the back nine, he bogeyed the par-4 11th and 17th and the par-3 14th but recovered with four birdies. "Its OK, its under par," Jimenez said. "Its not easy because of the wind." Former champions Jeev Milkha Singh of India, Kenneth Ferrie of England, and Bernd Wiesberger of Austria each shot a 71. ' ' '