Its one of my biggest pet peeves in football and it happens all over the world and it happens often. Wholesale Tennessee Jerseys . Moreover, it makes the game a little less beautiful. I call it the "deliberate handball swindle." A player, believing hes been fouled, grabs the ball while falling to the ground, forcing the referee into making a decision in the players favour. As a long suffering observer of CONCACAF, Ill cynically assume that this technique originated in Central America and spread like a disease to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, FIFA has allowed the plague to fester...until recently it seems. More and more, we are seeing officials make the correct decision, by giving a free kick in the other direction, while brandishing the yellow card that is automatically awarded for intentionally handling the ball. Unfortunately for Whitecaps fans, it was a Vancouver player that fell victim to that modern interpretation and, because Mattias Laba was already in the book, it was an indisputable sending off in the Whitecaps 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids on Saturday. Was Laba pulled back by Nick Labrocca in the 77th minute and might a foul have been awarded? Yes. But there were a full two steamboats between Laba tumbling to the ground and the Argentine midfielder grabbing the ball. Enough time for the referee to blow his whistle, which he didnt, and enough time for Laba to consider the circumstances - already on a yellow with his team leading by a goal. Perhaps in his home country, in front of a huge crowd, a referee might have caved to the con and we see that all the time. I sympathize with officials who are constantly being put in a position of having to interpret deceit. So for the good of the game, Im glad Ionnis Stavridis construed the law the way he did and I hope his contemporaries in the game consistently follow suit and react the same way in similar circumstances. There is part of me, though, that also wonders whether in this instance, if the referee knew right away that Laba was already on a yellow for a belligerent foul just 23 minutes earlier ,as there seemed to be hesitation between him showing the secnd yellow and then the red. If referees themselves strive for anonymity and the desire to let players decide games, then, upon reflection, perhaps Mr. Stavridis might have secretly wished he had just awarded a foul to Nick Labrocca and not influenced the game to that degree. But it doesnt change the fundamental issue - grabbing the ball to force a referee into a ruling falls under the same category as diving or, as its now known, “simulation." Its cheating plain and simple and if the Whitecaps truly want to live by their slogan “Our All, Our Honour”, maybe they need to learn from this incident and encourage players to think twice about employing one of the games most notorious swindles. Joshua Dobbs College Jersey . - The Detroit Lions have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve, ending his season. Rod Wilks College Jersey . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. http://www.cheaptennesseejerseys.com/ . The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. LOS ANGELES -- Victor Martinez helped the Detroit Tigers overcome the struggles of Joe Nathan. The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. But Martinez picked him up in a big way with a leadoff home run in the 10th against Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen, and Detroit pulled out a 7-6 victory in which both pitching staffs made a combined 382 pitches during the 4 hour, 16-minute marathon. "Kenley Jansen is filthy, but Victor Martinez is a professional hitter," Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter said. "Hes at the plate, just trying to figure you out, and I think he figured out how Jansens ball moves. "He was able to get inside of it and hit it out of the ballpark and come up with another clutch hit. Thats what this team is capable of doing. We have some veteran guys who have good at-bats and can get the job done." Martinez drove a 2-2 pitch deep into the pavilion seats in right-centre to make a winner of Nathan (2-0). One night earlier, Martinez tied the score with a two-out single in the ninth against Jansen before the Dodgers pulled out a 3-2 victory in 10. "Vic takes hitting very seriously, and I think his main focus is to just try to get the barrel of the bat to the ball," manager Brad Ausmus said. "If you watch him on a regular basis, hes fighting to do that. And if a pitcher is trying to get him out, Victor is going to make it very difficult for him -- especially with men on base." Joba Chamberlain gave up a single to Hanley Ramirez to open the 10th. But left-hander Ian Krol struck out Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier, and Al Albuquerque retired Matt Kemp on a grounder to get his first major league save. Nathan, who said during a radio interview earlier in the day that he was experiencing a "dead arm" -- and reiterated those thoughts in the clubhouse before batting practice, was trying to protect a 6-3 lead for Anabel Sanchez. But Gonzalez led off with a home run to centre field, and the Dodgers loaded the bases with walks to Ethier and Kemp and a single by Juan Uribe. Yasiel Puig, who wasnt in the starting lineup for the third straight game because of a strained ligament in his left thumb, batted for Tim Federowicz and struck out. Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke got a run home with a fielders choice grounder before Dee Gordon singled to right field, delivering Kemp with the tying run. "Joes stuff looked as crisp as weve see it, and he said he felt like that was the best stuff hes had, in terms of the break on his sslider and the way the fastball came out of his hand," Ausmus said. Authentic Tennessee Jerseys. "So maybe once he got out there, his arm played a little better than he mentioned earlier." Detroits Nick Castellanos helped spoil Josh Becketts long-awaited return with a three-run homer, his first in the big leagues. Sanchez allowed three runs -- one earned -- and six hits over five innings and struck out six. Beckett threw 85 pitches through four innings, giving up five runs -- four earned -- and five hits while striking out five. The three-time All-Star, who joined the Dodgers in a nine-player megadeal with Boston in August 2012, made only 15 starts with them prior to this one because of injuries that had sidelined him since his previous outing on May 13 of last season. Beckett gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the second, laying down a suicide-squeeze bunt in front of the plate with Uribe charging down the line. It was Becketts first RBI since June 14, 2009, when he homered against J.A. Happ in an interleague game at Philadelphia. But the Tigers pulled ahead 5-3 in the third when Castellanos drove a pitch to centre field, and the ball skimmed off the top of the eight-foot fence before landing on the other side. "It was just rust," Beckett said. "After the first inning it was just a baseball game. I felt good in that fourth inning." Hunter did not play because of a bruised left knee, which occurred Tuesday when he tried to make a sliding catch of a foul ball by Federowicz near the short padded wall in front of the grandstand. "I came here early today, trying to get it loosened up, and its still swollen," Hunter said. "I cant really do too much about it. But its only been a little over 24 hours, so what were going to do is just take it one day at a time. My plan is to come back Friday, but if its still a little sore, we want to get rid of it early in the season so Ill be able to perform for my ballclub." NOTES: One of A.J. Ellis biggest regrets about going on the disabled list Tuesday was missing this series against the Tigers and Ausmus, his teammate during Ausmus final two major league seasons (2009-10). "I was fortunate to catch in the major leagues before I met Brad, but I wasnt a major league catcher until after I met Brad," Ellis said a day after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. "The two-year mentorship he gave me was what turned me into the catcher I am today. He taught me how to prepare a game plan, how to take care of my body in between starts, how to be a better teammate, and how my focus should be on my pitching staff only." 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