6. If baseball had never been invented, would pine tar exist? As a wood preservative, you say? And to make medicinal soap to treat skin ailments, Im told. The soap you might use if you smear pine tar all over your neck?7. If the New York Islanders give their 2015 first-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the payment for Thomas Vanek, who was later traded to Montreal, and if the Sabres wind up with Conor McDavid or Jack Eichel thanks to the Islanders, might the original Vanek trade from Buffalo to the Islanders have been the worst trade in modern NHL times?8. Jose Bautista tried unsuccessfully to steal third base when the Blue Jays were trailing the Red Sox 5-0. Why?9. I love it loud at rock shows and movie theatres. Why dont I love it loud at an NBA game? Because I might like to talk to the person next to me?10. Until somebody proves me wrong, Im pronouncing the controversial site of the 2022 soccer World Cup "Kotter", because thats how all of my trusted information sources tell me to pronounce "Qatar". I always get it right by remembering Gabe Kaplan and a young John Travolta.11. If Ichiro Suzuki is always referred to as "Ichiro", why do we call Yu Darvish "Darvish" and not "Yu"?12. Has Kyle Lowry ever heard of Bob Baun?13. Did you know that Justin Morneau is batting .351 for the Colorado Rockies? That stat came right out of thin air.14. Will the Columbus Blue Jackets ever understand how they held Sidney Crosby without a goal and why they lost to Pittsburgh?15. Could we agree that the best solution to the problem of baseball games that last too long is Mark Buehrle?16. If any of 29 NHL teams blew a 3-0 series lead, there would be major repercussions. The 30th team is San Jose. Dont you agree that "major repercussions" will fall short of sufficiently explaining the fallout if the Sharks lose to the Los Angeles Kings?17. Dont you love reading box scores? Last week, I saw that Brett Gardner of the Yankees went 0 for 3 and scored four runs.18. Because you cant watch all eight first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, theres always one that you havent seen and know little about, and so, can you tell me if anything interesting has happened between the Rangers and the Flyers?19. When Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce asked for more noise from the fans at the Barclays Center, they didnt mean booing, did they?20. With Ron Francis newly-installed as the Carolina Hurricanes general manager, and as long as Kirk Muller is the Hurricanes head coach, the highest-scoring player among current GMs and among head coaches are with the same team. Has this ever happened before? I guess not, but if you have time to do research that proves otherwise, be my guest, send me the information and I will Pass It On."Question" — Moody Blues Philadelphia Phillies Shirts .Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team. Philadelphia Phillies Pro Shop . - A lot of scenarios ran through Terrell Suggs head when the Baltimore linebacker prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/ .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Cheap Phillies Jerseys . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork. Philadelphia Phillies Store . This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up.GREEN BAY, Wis. - Go ahead, take shots at the Green Bay Packers and their barely-above .500 record. Question the defence, and make light of how they needed to scratch and claw to win three of their last four games. All that matters to coach Mike McCarthy is that Green Bay won the NFC North and is in the NFL playoffs. "I love our defence. I love our football team. Throw the stats out the window," a rejuvenated McCarthy said Monday at Lambeau Field. "You can throw the bad ones at me and Ill throw the good ones back at you. "Were a playoff football team. Our identity has changed. This team has embraced it, and we know its going to take the full game to get it done, and thats the way we play." The Packers (8-7-1) have grown accustomed to nail-biters on their way to winning a third straight division crown. The most important close call came Sunday at Chicagos Soldier Field, when Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for an unlikely 48-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-8 with 38 seconds left to cap the comeback from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 33-28 win. Whats more, it sent the Bears — Green Bays fiercest division rival — home for the winter. The victory and touchdown reception that featured two key Packers who returned from injuries had sports talk radio shows buzzing throughout Wisconsin on Monday. "Oh man, Its a great a feeling," running back Eddie Lacy said Sunday night about watching time expire on the clock. "Were about to go to the (playoffs), and now we have to keep it going." But the Packers had only Sunday night to celebrate. "Im sure some guys went past midnight," McCarthy said. It was back to business on Monday in Titletown, and as if to emphasize the point, McCarthy sported a suit and tie when he spoke to reporters. "It is playoff time, and were focused on the 49ers," he said. Coach Jim Harbaughs team will visit Lambeau Field on Sunday for an NFC wild-card game..dddddddddddd The 49ers beat the Packers 34-28 in San Francisco in Week 1, back in September. Last season, the 49ers eliminated Green Bay from the playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. As much as McCarthy would like to disregard the statistics, on defence at least, the numbers dont paint a pretty picture. Green Bay is 25th in the NFL in total defence, giving up 372 yards a game. After a solid start to the season, the Packers have fallen to 25th against the run, allowing 125 yards per game. It is unknown if pass-rushing linebacker Clay Matthews will return to action after breaking his right thumb for a second time this year. He wont play on Sunday. But the Packers do have Rodgers back after the 2011 NFL MVP missed nearly two months because of a fractured left collarbone. He is the ultimate game-changer, a franchise quarterback who can help mask other flaws on the team. McCarthy said he cant think of a better two-minute drill in his coaching career than the one the Packers executed Sunday night to help win the game. "I think this is probably his finest hour as a Green Bay Packer," McCarthy said of Rodgers. The road back to the post-season has been strewn with obstacles. Besides Rodgers, Cobb and Matthews, injuries have also deprived Green Bay of tight end Jermichael Finley, defensive end Johnny Jolly and cornerback Casey Hayward. Projected left tackle Bryan Bulaga was lost in training camp. But McCarthy believes a team identity has emerged late in games over the last month. The defence staved off the Bears last-ditch drive with an interception by cornerback Sam Shields. Call em the "never-give-up" Packers. "When you really have to earn it to get in," McCarthy said, "yeah, its very rewarding." Notes: Lacy has been bothered by a sprained right ankle the last three games, but McCarthy said Monday that early information indicated the rookie came out of Sundays game in better condition than after the previous game. ' ' '