Freischaltung » way.The Cardinals started the season

NEW YORK -- Mets manager Terry Collins addressed his team on Friday night following its fourth loss in five games.He didnt yell at the players or get upset despite the clubs recent skid.What was his message instead? Lighten up.If we have a meeting somethings wrong, so I dont like to have meetings, Collins said. So tonight I just walked in and said, `Guys, we got to lighten it up in here. Turn the music up, lighten the atmosphere around here.Tyler Chatwood kept winning on the road, Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove in four runs and the Colorado Rockies defeated New York 6-1 Friday night for their fourth straight victory.Mark Reynolds homered and Charlie Blackmon had four hits for the surging Rockies. They are 11-4 since the All-Star break and have moved within four games of Miami for the second NL wild-card spot.Chatwood (10-6) improved to 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA away from Coors Field this season. The 26-year-old is 4-6 with a 5.69 ERA at home.Gonzalez matched a season-high hitting streak of 11 games with an RBI double in the first. He hit a 448-foot, three-run drive in the ninth for his 21st homer.Its a tough place and obviously they have really good pitching so youre trying to take what they give you and not try to do too much, Gonzalez said. Great things happen when you take that approach.Steven Matz (8-7) gave up two runs and 10 hits in six innings.I think from a battling standpoint, I got out of some big situations that limited the damage as much as I could, Matz said. In a tight ballgame like that, scattering 10 hits and falling behind there in the sixth inning to give them the lead, is frustrating.James Loney homered for the Mets. Alejandro De Aza had another kind of hit -- he had a pinch-single in the eighth, and later was running to third when he was grazed in the helmet by the shattered barrel of Travis dArnauds bat.Down 3-1, the Mets got a pair of singles to start the eighth off Jake McGee. Scott Oberg relieved and retired the next three batters on just three pitches. The Mets are the majors worst hitting team with runners in scoring position.It seems that we are pressing a little bit, especially in situations where we have guys on base and we have opportunities to bring runs home, outfielder Michael Conforto said.As for Collins pep talk?Thats the message, lets have some fun. Lets not get too serious here, not get too down on ourselves. Lets go have some fun and get on a roll like we did last year. We know we can do it, Conforto said.HALL OF FAME WELCOMEThe Mets started a weekend-long tribute to Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, handing out replica jerseys to all fans. A large home plate with Piazzas No. 31 in the middle was etched into the center field grass in anticipation of Saturdays number retirement ceremony.Its truly an honor to be able to celebrate his career here in New York and it means so much and Im so honored to be able to wear that No. 31 on my shoulder, dArnaud said.TRAINERS ROOMMets: 3B Jose Reyes (strained left ribcage) missed his fourth straight game. `Hes a little closer, Collins said. `Weve got to be careful not to overdo it.UP NEXTLHP Jorge De La Rosa (6-7, 5.70) is slated to start for Colorado on Saturday night in a matchup of veterans, opposed by 43-year-old righty Bartolo Colon (9-5, 3.35). The 35-year-old De La Rosa is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts at Citi Field. Colon will be starting on short rest, earning the win over St. Louis in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Tyreke Evans Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Spud Webb Jersey . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. https://www.cheapkingsbasketball.com/1642b-justin-james-jersey-kings.html . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Stitched Kings Jerseys . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Reggie Theus Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Louisville coach Rick Pitino told reporters on Tuesday that hes still working to find the right lineup to suit his No. 11-ranked Cardinals.Its not ideal, but its likely what we need to keep going, said Pitino, who noted he expects to use four or five players in the paint until a pair of players become more reliable.That lineup will be on display Wednesday as the Cardinals (7-1) face Southern Illinois (5-3) at 7 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.Pitinos shuffle in the low block has been made more complicated recently because 7-foot center Anas Mahmoud missed the last game and will miss both contests this week with a concussion.The medical file on Anas is about this thick, Pitino said, motioning a sizable margin. He just takes a little longer to come back, actually about 50 percent longer to return that other players -- and from everything, not just this concussion. ... But it has allowed us to get a better look at Matz (Stockman).The good news for Pitino is that he has options. Louisvilles roster is loaded with talented big men -- 6-foot-9 starting forward Jaylen Johnson, 6-10 starting center Mangok Mathiang, 6-10 Ray Spalding, 7-0 Mahmoud and 7-1 Stockman.The Salukis only have one player taller than 6-8 on the roster. Thats 6-9 sophomore post Rudy Stradnieks, who averages just 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.But Pitino said his crew cant take the Salukis lightly.They are a veteran team, Pitino said. They wont be intimidated by us, thats for sure.Pitino said he likes what he has seen in practice from a tall, quick lineup of 6-6 VJ King at one guard spot, 6-7 Deng Adel at another and Spalding in the post. That lineup provides Louisville with its most-athletic lineup, Pitino said Tuesday.While Louisville would prefer to speed things up, SIU coach Barry Hinson is known for slowing down the pace of a game. His teams are infamous for grinding defensive pressure, but he says they are having to change their ways this season with the NCAAs new emphasis on flow of action.Getting up on guys -- those days are over, Hinson told the SIU Daily Egyptian.dddddddddddd Im an old school guy. Ive always been about get in their grill, get up, get in them, bother them -- do all this stuff. Those days are over.Hinson said he blames himself for not preparing his team for the changes better earlier this season.I think were finally starting to adjust a little bit, Hinson said. We fouled way too much in the first part of the season. We were way too aggressive on our defense with our hands and not getting into position and not moving, so I dont think thats as much our players fault as it is my fault.The Salukis started the season off with a tough 85-81 home loss to Wright State before falling 90-65 at Aransas. SIU returned home to beat Missouri Southern State, SIU-Edwardsville and Mount St. Marys before a 57-45 road loss at Minnesota on Nov. 25. SIU beat Murray State 89-65 in overtime last Tuesday and most recently beat Texas Southern 74-70.Senior guard Mike Rodriguez (14.5 ppg) and senior guard Leo Vincent (11.6 ppg) take the bulk of SIUs shots along with 6-4 wing Armon Fletcher (13.5 ppg).They are a veteran ball club, Pitino said. Rodriguez is always getting into the lane. Vincent can score. You have five guys scoring the ball. They play the game the right way.The Cardinals started the season 5-0 with wins over Evansville, William & Mary, Long Beach State, Old Dominion and Wichita State before falling to No. Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game 66-63. Since then, Louisville took down then-No. 15 Purdue 71-64 and beat Grand Canyon in Phoenix 79-70.I watched them play Purdue, Hinson said. I didnt sleep that night at all.Hinson, only half kidding about his lack of sleep, said he wants his team loose and ready to play Wednesday night.You know what? Lets lace them up and lets go, Hinson said. Weve got nothing to lose when we go there and were going to play. Itll be a great opportunity. Im looking forward to it. ' ' '