Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. Cyrus Kouandjio Jersey . This week they discuss the retirements of Simon Whitfield, Perdita Felicien and Jim Leyland as well as unwritten codes in sport. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to Simon Whitfield, who officially retired from triathlon this week after over a decade as one of Canadas defining athletes. When you ask him what he remembers best, its his surprising Gold at the Sydney Olympics. When you ask most people what they remember about Simon Whitfield, I find its what I remember: Beijing, when he kept getting dropped on the run by the lead group in that astonishing heat until finally he simply refused to be dropped, surging to the lead before winning the best Silver youll ever see. His career ended with that heartbreaking crash in London, but if you ask him, hes at peace with it; it was just part of the road. Simon Whitfields legacy in this country may be this: he reminded us that winning wasnt everything, and that losing wasnt everything, either. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up to Jim Leyland, the gruff talking, cigarette smoking, old school manager of the Detroit Tigers, who walked away from the big league game after eight seasons in Detroit, and after 22 seasons as a manager at the age of 68. What made Leyland unique, more than how he did things, more than how he left himself so open to the second guess, is he was never fired as a manager, not in Pittsburgh, not in Florida where he won the World Series, not in his single season in Colorado and not now as leaves the Tigers on his own accord. His way. His time. "Thank you," he said, "for having me." Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: my thumb is up to hurdler Perdita Felicien, who announced her retirement this week. While best remembered for an Olympic tumble, she should be honoured as the first Canadian female track athlete to win a world championship. Felicien won the 100-meter hurdles in 2003, establishing her as the favorite for Athens 2004. Well, life and a hurdle got in the way. Felicien clipped the first hurdle and fell, taking out Russias Irina Shevchenko on the way down. This was not how Felicien wanted to bow out of her last Olympic race, but it was a quintessential Canadian sporting moment: she took the Russian down with her. Dave Hodge, TSN: my thumb is down to those unwritten codes that pop up in every sport. For instance: in the first inning of Game 1 in the World Series, Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma was initially given credit for making an out at second base but the umpires gathered to reverse what had been an obvious incorrect call. That, and the code, brought St. Louis manager Mike Matheny racing from the dugout to argue that his team had been victimized. He was doing what everyone expected him to do, so he did it. Wouldnt it have been refreshing if, instead, Matheny had calmly walked to meet Kozma at his shortstop position, placed his hand on Kozmas shoulder, and said the following: "I know you never caught that ball, and you know it, and the umpires know it Forget about it and catch the next one" and if after that meeting, Matheny had returned to the dugout with nary a word for an umpire? But the code would never allow it. authenticbillsshop.com/Preston-Brown-Bills-Jersey . Now they have signed the free agent right-hander to a one-year contract in their search for depth in a rotation dealing with injury concerns.Preston Brown Bills Jersey . Inglorious, one of two horses Carroll will send to Canadas most prestigious thoroughbred race, will be the lone filly in the 17-horse field.PARIS - Montreals Eugenie Bouchard recovered from early breaks in both sets to reach the second week of the French Open as she beat Swede Johanna Larsson 7-5, 6-4 Friday. The 18th-seeded Bouchard, an Australian Open semifinalist earlier this year, showed fighting spirit in winning her 84-minute match with the 99th-ranked Larsson in the pairs first meeting. Bouchard finished with 27 winners and 30 unforced errors, breaking on six of 11 chances while losing serve four times. Bouchard lost the opening game but recovered nicely to take a 5-3 first--set lead. authenticbillsshop.com/Cyrus-Kouandjio-Bills-Jersey. She got into trouble as Lasson levelled for 5-all but claimed the set with a break for 7-5 on her third set point. The Canadian lost serve in the third game of the second, breaking back in the fourth to tie the set at 2. Bouchard earned a 4-2 lead as she move on to victory, with Larsson donating a double-fault for a second match point before volleying a forehand return low into the net. Next up for Bouchard is German eighth seed Angelique Kerber, who defeated Slovak Daniela Hantuchova on Friday. ' ' ' |