News & Neuigkeiten » thundering toward a first-round bye

Cronulla star Ben Barba admits he took it upon himself to step up in the absence of the clubs State of Origin stars in Sundays NRL win over Penrith.NSW Origin quintet James Maloney, Jack Bird, Wade Graham, Andrew Fifita and skipper Paul Gallen are all in camp ahead of Wednesdays game three, but that didnt stop the Sharks securing their 13th win in a row.And Barba played a major role in the win, scoring two tries to take his season tally to 11 - the most since his Dally M medal-winning season in 2012.The 27-year-old said he had a major shift in mindset before the clash against the Panthers.I didnt say too much during the week but I thought with some of the older boys out this week there was a chance there for me to rev the boys up there a little bit, Barba said.I really tried to take a leadership role there with some of the guys out. It was a really special win. Im glad I took the chances when I did.Twice the former Canterbury dynamo showed his trademark acceleration to blast the Panthers for back-to-back tries in the first half that helped set up the victory.However Barba said he hadnt returned to his top speed, revealing both Valentine Holmes and Sosaia Feki had covered him for pace at the club.He conceded he might never reach the same speed that catapulted him into stardom all those years ago.All that stuff was four or five seasons ago so Im never going to be quick as I was, he said.But I guess Im a little bit smarter now. I try to use that to the best of my ability in terms of picking my times when to run.Im using the other guys at the back (Sosaia Feki and Valentine Holmes) better too.The more I can use them to cart the ball back into the line, Im thankful for them because they allow me to do my stuff in attack.Thats been the big difference for me this year - Im a lot smarter and a lot wiser. Anthony Mantha Jersey . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Brendan Shanahan Red Wings Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/nicklas-lidstrom-jersey/ . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Steve Yzerman Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Vladimir Konstantinov Jersey . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. OK, its only a little past the midseason following Friday nights matches between the still-undefeated Team SoloMid over rival Cloud9 and Immortals keeping pace with a victory of its own against Team Envy. I can still hand out some superlatives, right?We have only four weeks left to go in the season, and the fight for the playoffs is on. The 10 NA LCS teams are sprinting to the finish line to see which squads will make the trip to Toronto this coming August for the Finals. Before we get there, however, lets appreciate some of the best (and worst) of the NA LCS summer split thus far through five weeks (and a Friday).The Obligatory TSM is the Best Team in NA LCS AwardTeam SoloMidI dont have to say much about this topic, right? After Fridays win over C9, TSM are 11-0, have dropped only three games all split and are thundering toward a first-round bye in the playoffs and an expected eighth straight trip to the NA LCS Finals. You can talk all you want about the stars on the Rift, but last splits team arguably had more talent on it with future Hall of Famer Bora YellOwStaR Kim as starting support. Instead, the key to TSMs success has been the cohesion the team has shown with rookie support Vincent Biofrost Wang in YellOwStaRs place and the chemistry between the veteran members on the squad.Last split, TSMs talent lost out to Counter Logic Gamings teamwork in Las Vegas at the NA LCS Finals. This split, though, the teamwork and trust has caught up to the talent capabilities on the team. Everything has come together for one of the best regular seasons in LCS history, whether in North America or Europe.The Obligatory Phoenix1 is the Worst Team in NA LCS AwardEcho FoxWait, hold up -- were not giving it to Phoenix1? Oops. After the past couple of weeks, the narrative of Phoenix1s dismal demise has turned into realistic optimism. While no one is ready to start printing world championship P1 gear, the team has been