For many Tennessee fans, watching last Thursdays overtime win over Appalachian State was like being caught in a bad dream that you couldnt wake up from.?The plight of Vols fans in their opener couldnt ?be summed up better than from a second grader in Tennessee, who subsequently vented in class about the game. ?The Vols will have a bigger test this Saturday?in the Battle of Bristol against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET, ABC). ?Lets hope for the sake of second-grade learning that it wont cause any sleepless nights. ??-John F. Silver Cheap Mavericks Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Cheap Custom Mavericks Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. http://www.custommavericksjersey.com/ . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Jason Kidd Jersey Large .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Wholesale Custom Mavericks Shirts . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates had better sleep quick before they start their four-game series Monday in Busch Stadium.While St. Louis (43-38) survived a 3-hour, 48-minute ordeal, plus 2 hours and 15 minutes of rain delays Sunday to earn a 9-8 win over Milwaukee, Pittsburgh (41-41) polished off a sweep at Oakland with a 6-3 decision.The Pirates then got into town late Sunday night, losing two hours to the clock on their flight from the Bay Area. But after extending their winning streak to four games, theyre feeling pretty good about making the trip.Its huge, especially to come from behind three games in a row on the road, rookie left fielder Adam Frazier said. Its pretty big. Its huge momentum heading east to St. Louis.Frazier was a big part of Sundays win, going 2-for-4. His triple in the sixth inning tied the game at 3 and he later scored the go-ahead run as Pittsburgh swept the Athletics for the first time.The Pirates will try to gain revenge for the sweep they suffered at the Cardinals hands last month in PNC Park. St. Louis, which lost five of its first six meetings to Pittsburgh, outscored it by a combined 22-7 in winning all three games of that series.That included a 5-1 verdict on June 11 that saw Carlos Martinez come within two outs of his first big league complete game. Martinez (7-5, 2.83), whos pitched to an earned run average of 1.06 over his last six starts, takes the ball Monday.Hell be opposed by left-hander Jonathon Niese (6-6, 5.07), whos 0-1 in two starts against the Cardinals this year.ddddddddddddNiese was tagged for all eight runs on June 12 in an 8-3 loss, giving up homers to Matt Holliday and Randal Grichuk.While both teams are still looking up at the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, St. Louis made up three games in as many days over the weekend, thanks to the Cubs being swept at the New York Mets. The Cardinals start Monday eight games back, the closest theyve been since May 25.Its good, but were taking it day-by-day, St. Louis right fielder Stephen Piscotty said. Theres still plenty of time.Piscotty was the star of Sundays win, belting his second grand slam of the year in the sixth inning to highlight a 3-for-4 day. Piscotty has been deadly with the bases loaded during his first season in the big leagues. Dating back to July 22, 2015, hes 8-for-15 with 18 RBI in that spot.The Pirates are hopeful of getting center fielder Andrew McCutchen back Monday. He sat out Sunday with a heel injury and manager Clint Hurdle said the team wanted to rest McCutchen ahead of this series and a weekend visit from the Cubs.On Tuesday night, the Cardinals send Mike Leake (5-6, 4.13) to the mound against rookie Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.86). Lefties Jaime Garcia (6-6, 3.84) and Pittsburghs Jeff Locke (8-5, 5.13) match up Wednesday night, while St. Louis Adam Wainwright (7-5, 4.70) meets rookie Chad Kuhl (1-0, 4.09) in Thursdays series finale. ' ' '