Marlins and Astros, including 68
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For a guy who loves to talk on the field, New Englands Aqib Talib sure has been quiet lately. The Patriots cornerback injured his hip in the Patriots win against New Orleans on Oct. 13 and missed the next three games. He hadnt spoken after practice until Thursday, when he said hes eager to return to the field Monday night for New Englands game against the Carolina Panthers. \"Im practicing good,\" Talib said, with a wide grin. \"Day to day. Trying to get back.\" Fresh off the Patriots bye last week, Talib was a limited participant in Thursdays practice. Thats the same designation hes had for a while, and he said watching his teammates play without him was \"the worst thing in the world.\" Coach Bill Belichick was more candid than usual when asked about the player who leads the team with four interceptions and whos been solely responsible for shutting down some of the leagues elite pass catchers. \"Hes continued to progress. Well keep doing, as they can tolerate it, do more and evaluate how they do at a little bit higher level,\" Belichick said. \"Then if that goes well, then ramp it up and see where we are as we go through the week.\" New Englands secondary withstood the absence of its top playmaker, going 2-1 during the stretch. The Patriots (7-2) could benefit from his return against the Panthers (6-3), who have won five straight games and scored 30 or more points in five of their past seven. \"Unbelievable player, happy to have him on the field with us,\" said defensive end Rob Ninkovich. \"I think the guys that stepped in when he was gone, they did a great job, but having him back is just going to help us as far as have more depth and keep guys rolling.\" Should Talib return for New Englands only Monday night game this season, he likely will be matched up with one of the most successful receivers of the past decade in Steve Smith. Talib, who spent his first four-plus seasons playing in the NFC South with Tampa Bay, is familiar with the flashy veteran. \"He brings it every Sunday or Monday or whenever the game is,\" Talib said. \"I think if youre competitive like that, youre going to be pretty successful.\" Smith has tallied more than 800 receptions and 11,000 yards in his career, and has a team-high 42 catches for 450 yards and three touchdowns this season. Talib knows exactly what to expect from Smith -- his best effort and a lot of chatter. \"Youve got a lot of guys who do a lot of talking to (the media), and we get out there and they dont say too much on the field,\" Talib said. \"But Steve is definitely one of those guys, hes going to do it on the field.\" Not unlike Talib. \"Yeah,\" he said with a smile, \"I say a couple words.\" Shadowing the oppositions top threat is becoming commonplace for Talib. Julio Jones was near the top of the league in every major category when Talib held him to a season-low six catches. He caught just three of his first 10 for 22 yards. The following week, Talibs talents helped limit Cincinnatis A.J. Green to five catches for 61 yards. Green now leads the league in yards and ranks second in receptions. And still to come was his premier performance, spearheading an effort to shut down New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham, who tops all receivers with 10 touchdowns but was held without a catch against New England for the first time in a span of 46 games. Belichick went so far as to compare Talib to former Patriots cornerback Ty Law. \"Maybe Ty would be similar in that he was a good corner and you could put him on a lot of players and not maybe feel like you need to give him a lot of help,\" he said. \"I think Talib is a guy that we have a lot of confidence in and probably would treat his matchups a little bit differently than weve treated some other ones in the past.\" Damarious Randall Youth Jersey . The match was the first of three for Canada on its European tour. The Canadian women meet France again on Tuesday in Amneville before taking on England on Nov. Brett Hundley Packers Jersey . The teams official Twitter account quoted coach John Tortorella on Friday saying that Kesler \"has a sprained knee and is out at least a couple of weeks\". http://www.packersjerseysofficialshop.com/black-friday-aaron-rodgers-jersey/.com) - Louisville forward Montrezl Harrell has been suspended one game for the flagrant-2 foul he received on Saturday. Packers Jersey . Louis Blues The Canucks may have needed the break more than any team as they went into the hiatus having lost seven in a row, including a winless five-game road trip to close out the pre-Olympic schedule. Aaron Rodgers Packers Jersey .5 million viewers on TSN. This ranks as the most-watched sports program of the broadcast year and the fourth most-watched Grey Cup on record, according to preliminary overnight data from BBM Canada. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With all the power they possess in the middle of their lineup, the Los Angeles Angels dont usually need home runs from Chris Iannetta. Yet thats what they got in a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals. The veteran catcher hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning Sunday to lift the Angels to a 4-3 victory. He also connected Friday night for their first run in a win. Iannettas latest go-ahead drive sailed into the lower seats in the left-field corner. \"I didnt know if it was going to go out or not. I was just hoping it would stay fair. Im glad it did,\" he said. Reliever Tim Collins (0-3) retired the first batter in the eighth before Iannetta hit his fifth homer of the season. \"I just missed. I was trying to go away,\" Collins said. \"You cant miss your spots in those situations. Thats what I did, and thats what happens.\" Michael Kohn (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning. Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his sixth save, retiring Alcides Escobar on a popup with a runner on third. Garrett Richards, trying to preserve some arms in the Angels bullpen following Saturday nights 13-inning 7-4 loss, pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked two. \"I was prepared to go back out for the eighth, with the bullpen being taxed from last night,\" Richards said. \"But I always try to go deep in game because I know that if I do, Im doing my job. Im going as hard as I can for as long as I can.\" Royals starter Jason Vargas was charged with a run and three hits over 6 1-3 innings in his return to Angel Stadium, and was lifted after 109 pitches with a 3-0 lead. Kelvin Herrera took over with a runner at first and gave up a single by No. 9 hitter Collin Cowgill on his first pitch. Mike Trout hit an RBI double with one out, Albert Pujols was hit by an 0-2 pitch and David Freese had a tying, two-run single. Pujols tried to score the go-ahead run from second on C.J. Crons sharp single, but Lorenzo Cain -- starting in right field for the first time this season after 28 starts in centre -- threw him out at the plate. Vargas struck out six and tied a career high with five walks. This was the sixth time in 165 big league starts that the 31-year-old left-hander has walked as many as five batters, and the first time sincee July 20, 2011, with Seattle.dddddddddddd \"I think he was being extra careful with Pujols and Trout -- and Howie Kendricks also tough,\" manager Ned Yost said. \"Thats a powerful lineup over there. So either he was going to make his pitch, or he wasnt going to make a mistake to those guys and let them drive it out of the ballpark.\" Vargas walked his first batter in the second, third and fourth innings after giving up a leadoff single in the first, but the Angels couldnt capitalize. He walked his first two batters in the third before retiring Pujols on a double-play grounder to shortstop and striking out Freese. \"It was just one of those games where I had to battle through some innings,\" Vargas said. \"I was just missing and wasnt able to get ahead on some of those guys, but I was fortunate to get back into some counts later in the inning and ended up getting out of it.\" The Royals, who scored first in all three games of the series, took a 3-0 lead in the second. Pedro Ciriaco hit a bloop double that scored Jimmy Paredes, who singled and advanced on Richards first balk in 291 1-3 career innings to that point. Jarrod Dyson reached on a fielding error by Gold Glove shortstop Erick Aybar, and Eric Hosmer followed with a sacrifice fly before Alex Gordon capped the rally with an RBI single. Richards retired his next 11 batters, striking out the side on 11 pitches in the fifth. \"Other than the third inning, it was good,\" Richards said. Vargas was 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 24 starts with the Angels last season after four years with Seattle. He signed a four-year, $32 million contract with Kansas City on Nov. 21. NOTES: LF Cowgill made two sliding catches in foul territory, one on Hosmers sacrifice fly. ... The Angels optioned RHP Matt Shoemaker to Triple-A Salt Lake and selected six-year veteran LHP Wade LeBlanc to the major league roster. LeBlanc, who signed a minor league contract in November as a free agent, was 5-1 with a 3.69 ERA with Salt Lake. He had a combined 20-32 record and 4.51 ERA in 96 big league appearances with the Padres, Marlins and Astros, including 68 starts. ... The Royals recalled RHP Michael Mariot from Triple-A Omaha and optioned C Francisco Pena to the minor league team. Pena is the son of former Royals manager and current Yankees bench coach Tony Pena. cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '