Forumsregeln » and spreading out the defense, the s

While Maria Sharapovas drug suspension wasnt reduced as much as she would have liked in the Court for Arbitration of Sport appeal ruling that was issued Tuesday, CAS decision to cut her ban was a qualified win for the tennis star, her legacy and her hopes of adding to her total of five Grand Slam victories before she retires.That said, the decision to reduce her suspension from the two years she was originally given by the International Tennis Federation to 15 months because she was not an intentional doper should still provoke some soul-searching in tennis on a bigger scale. Like the recent ban of two officials for electronically relaying information to bettors during live matches -- and a poll earlier this summer showing that 22.5 percent of 31 players polled believe they know a fellow player who uses performance-enhancing drugs -- Sharapovas positive test will do little to disabuse critics of the notion that there is more going on behind the curtain in tennis than anyone -- especially tennis -- would like to admit.The sport has tried to make better efforts to police itself against banned substances and match-fixing and the like; but as this ESPN investigative report Monday also showed, the sports drug-testing efforts are woefully below state-of-the-art and unlikely to catch people who dabble in stronger illegal aids than the 29-year-old Sharapova took. Even when the ITF does catch someone, it has trouble making its disciplinary rulings stick before CAS, a court of last resort for the worlds athletes.Sharapova pounced on the opportunity to note that Tuesday. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, she said: I have learned from this, and I hope the ITF has as well. CAS concluded that the Panel has determined it does not agree with many of the conclusions of the [ITF] Tribunal ...Sharapova added: Ive gone from one of the toughest days of my career last March when I learned about my suspension to now, one of my happiest days, as I found out I can return to tennis in April. In so many ways, I feel like something I love was taken away from me and it will feel really good to have it back.Sharapova was the top-ranked woman on Forbes list of the worlds highest-earning athletes in 2015 at No. 26 overall. She has fallen to No. 88 in 2016 since her suspension was announced.She had asked CAS to reinstate her immediately, hoping to limit her suspension to the nine months she has already served since first testing positive for meldonium in January at this years Australian Open rather than serve the two-year suspension she was given by an ITF Tribunal in June.While that didnt happen, Sharapova can now justifiably point to how she took responsibility up front at a news conference in March and served her punishment for making a costly mistake -- but was cleared of any nefarious motives beyond that by two different governing bodies: first, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and now the CAS. She remains suspended because both panels did find fault with aspects of her behavior, such as not listing her use of meldonium on doping control forms and not applying for a therapeutic use exemption.Thats a win.CAS agreed in principle with the ITFs June ruling that Sharapova had taken meldonium -- which is also known by its brand name Mildronate -- to enhance her performance. But the panel did not believe she intended to cheat.That distinction is important.Worldwide and national doping agencies generally take the hard-line position that whatever goes into an athletes body is ultimately the athletes responsibility -- period, end of story; but teasing out intent is important to authorities like CAS when it comes to sentencing.In Sharapovas case, both CAS and ITF accepted her insistence that she had been taking meldonium since the age of 17 for therapeutic reasons on the advice of a doctor back in her native Russia, and that neither she nor her camp were aware it had moved to the banned list on Jan. 1 of this year.There was also no doubt Sharapova hoped meldonium would help her play better tennis. The ITFs 33-page decision cited old emails from Dr. Anatoly Skalny, the Russian doctor who treated Sharapova from 2004-12. He advised her to increase her dosage during games of special importance to 3-4 pills one hour before her matches. Sharapova listened. The ITF report said Sharapova used Mildronate six times in seven days at Wimbledon in 2015 -- and five times in seven days at the Australian Open.If Sharapova had been found to have deliberately violated anti-doping rules, she could have received the maximum four-year ban.Had CAS even upheld the ITFs original two-year suspension, she would have been 30 by the time she was eligible to return on Jan. 26, 2018 and missed seven Grand Slam events in addition to this years Rio Olympics, which she had hoped to play in for Russia.Instead, she now joins Richard Gasquet, Dimitar Kutrovsky, Marin Cilic, Viktor Troicki and, most recently, Varvara Lepchenko as tennis players whose drug suspensions have been reduced because of various extenuating circumstances.Tennis is also still dealing with the specter of Rafael Nadal suing a French official who publicly insisted that the Spanish star, long the target of PED rumors, benefited from one of the secret bans that tennis allegedly gives stars who test positive. That case raises echoes of how Andre Agassi revealed in his post-retirement autobiography that he failed a test in 1997 after taking crystal meth, then lied to ATP tennis authorities to escape punishment -- and the ATP believed him. The failed test remained a secret his entire playing career.Sharapova seems understandably eager to get on with her career.In recent days, she had been posting photos and video on Twitter of herself training on the court and in the gym. It might actually help that shes had experience coming back from long layoffs before due to injuries.Some people who read the full CAS or ITF reports or pay close attention to the worldwide anti-doping fight might continue to be skeptical that someone as famously detail-oriented and ambitious as Sharapova couldve made such a lazy mistake as not checking the new additions to the 2016 banned substance list.Sharapova is likely to experience little fallout going forward unless she stumbles again. The June ITF ruling alone was enough for Nike, one of Sharapovas many top-shelf sponsors along with Porsche, Evian, and Tag Heuer, to resume its endorsement deal with her. Others are likely to follow.Now that CAS has ruled, Sharapovas public image isnt likely to suffer much going forward.Sports fans, in particular, have long been a forgiving lot, especially if people they already find likeable are willing to apologize for their mistakes.Sharapova is probably never going to totally change the mind of cynics who continue to question her story, and how her use of meldonium dovetails with the systemic doping that led to the ban of many Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics and Paralympic Games. Even on a common-sense level, there are snags. As one skeptic wryly noted during the French Open, Why would Sharapova start a candy company if she was really taking meldonium because of her familys history of diabetes, as she said she was? Does someone afraid of diabetes do that?Sharapova doesnt have to acknowledge those questions anymore.Shes cleared of being an intentional doper. That will be enough. Cheap Custom Jerseys . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Cheap Custom Wear . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.customjerseysnearme.com/ . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Authentic Custom Jerseys . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Custom Uniforms Outlet . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Alabamas bottom line under Nick Saban hasnt changed one iota.The No. 1 Crimson Tide are still winning at a head-spinning clip, still collecting national championship hardware and still beating Tennessee every year. But to say its the same, old Alabama would be like saying its the same, old Godzilla.The worlds most feared lizard is still wreaking havoc and still breathing fire on the silver screen. Hes just a little more refined, a little sleeker and a little more with the times.The same goes for Alabamas football machine, which once again turned the Third Saturday in October into its own little gala with a 49-10 drubbing of the Vols at Neyland Stadium, the Crimson Tides 10th consecutive victory in a rivalry that really hasnt been much of one for the last decade.Its not so much that Alabama handed Tennessee the second most lopsided defeat in the history of this series (Alabama won 51-0 way back in 1906). Its the way the Crimson Tide did it, and the way they continue to evolve as they keep winning games. Their overall winning streak is up to 19 straight games now, the longest active streak in the FBS.You play the way you need to play under the rules the way they are, Saban said. If you dont, youre going to get left behind.Think about it. Did anybody really see Saban playing a true freshman quarterback five years ago? For that matter, did anybody see Saban breaking away from his pro-style approach and running the quarterback as much as Alabama is with Jalen Hurts, who torched the Vols for 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries?But heres the clincher: The Tide are going hurry-up on offense, using tempo, not huddling and spreading out the defense, the style of football Saban was railing against as recently as three years ago.For a guy who has been accused more than once of being stubborn and a creature of habit, Saban is as progressive as they come when it comes to his football team.He flashes a wry smile when asked how it feels to officially be one of the fastball guys, Sabans term for the coaches who run hurry-up offenses, the same offenses that were allegedly his kryptonite on defense when he had the audacity to go two straight years in 2013 and 2014 without winning a national championship.The reality is offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is the one who has transformed Alabamas offense, but Saban is the one who brought Kiffin in and gave him that license. Yes, their animated exchanges on the sideline are priceless -- what Saban calls ass-chewings when Kiffin gets a little too far out there on the plank. But its a fact that Hurts, an explosive athlete, adds a whole different dimension to the Alabama offense with his ability to run the zone read, make people miss and also throw the ball on the move.And as Saban notes, Hurts is growing and only getting better each week.One of the things Saban likes best about Hurts is hes not averse to hard coaching. Saban jumped on Hurts pretty good a couple of times in the first half after the freshman committed turnovers against Tennessee, but Hurts was unfazed, took the tongue-lashing and came back and played that much better.ddddddddddddIts not Kiffins first rodeo, either. He knew during the preseason that this wasnt going to be an elite Alabama offensive line. Its a line thats improving, but simply isnt on a par with some of the dominant offensive lines the Crimson Tide have had in years past. So a quarterback who can extend the play, run around and put pressure on a defense with his legs was probably going to be this offensive lines best friend.Saban was on board, even though that quarterback was a true freshman.The hardest quarterback to face is a dual-threat quarterback, Tennessee defensive back Rashaan Gaulden said. (Hurts) exploited us being able to get around the edge and deliver on the long ball when needed. Where he hurt us the most was being able to get around the edge and provide explosive plays for his team.Even on defense, which has long been Alabamas backbone under Saban, the Crimson Tide have a different makeup.Go back and look at the Alabama defense on that 2009 national championship team, or even the 2011 and 2012 national championship teams. The defensive linemen were bigger and bulkier. Its hard to believe, for instance, that Terrence Cody would be able to play on this defense and in this age of college football. Alabama is leaner across the defensive front, and its speed on defense is the best its ever been under Saban.Were faster at every position, but that was something we went out and addressed on defense in recruiting because of the way everybody is playing now on offense, Saban said. Its been a couple of years in the making.Already this season, seven of Alabamas 11 defensive starters have scored touchdowns, and the Tide have scored 11 nonoffensive touchdowns as a team, including special teams touchdowns. The only touchdown they gave up to Tennessee on Saturday was after Hurts was sacked and lost a fumble at the Vols 11.We made it a point of emphasis this offseason for a bunch of guys to shed a little bit of weight, get a little smaller so we could play these speed-ball teams, Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen said. Weve done a good job of stopping that this year.Tennessee, which was missing several starters due to injury, averaged just 2.6 yards per play. Alabama, meanwhile, churned out 438 rushing yards, the most the Crimson Tide have gained on the ground since the 1986 season.We saw they didnt have a lot of depth on defense, and we just kept fast tempo all game, and they got tired, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard said.The rest of the country may be tired of Alabama winning all the time, and Saban is the last person whos ever going to take winning for granted.Thats why hes constantly adapting, constantly tweaking and constantly looking for different and better ways to do things.Even if it means becoming a quasi-fastball guy. ' ' '