Kritik und Lob » itker and needs to win just three of it

Theyve received congratulatory emails from a U.S. reality TV star, praise and support from a Hollywood actor, and 27 cases of beer from one of the most storied soccer teams in Europe.Players from tiny Glasgow soccer side East Kilbride are currently the talk of the Scottish game -- and beyond -- thanks to a 27-match winning run that the club says is creating history.Ajax holds the world record for consecutive victories at 26, achieved in the top flight of Dutch soccer in the 1971-72 season with a team containing greats like Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens. Officially, East Kilbride hasnt broken that record since it plays in the fifth tier of Scottish soccer, but Ajax doesnt see it that way.After the final whistle went on East Kilbrides 27th straight win in the Lowland League, an Ajax-branded van was driven onto the field at the clubs K-Park ground and the crates of beer were revealed behind its sliding side door. Also inside was a congratulatory video message from Edwin van der Sar, the former Ajax goalkeeper and a current director at the club.It was a fantastic gesture, East Kilbride chairman Mark Horner told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The fact that Ajax recognizes it (as a record), thats the main thing for us.East Kilbrides players usually play in front of around 100 spectators at the teams community-funded playing facility that is located about eight miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Glasgow, a city that has two huge, famous soccer clubs -- Celtic and Rangers. Turning out for Kilby, as the team is known locally, is a merry band of electricians, plumbers, teachers and office workers who dont get paid to play soccer, except for expenses.Now they have a place in the spotlight, with news outlets in Britain and other countries in Europe and the Middle East covering the clubs achievement of winning 14 matches at the end of last season followed by 13 at the start of this season.Jacob Kean, East Kilbrides goalkeeper, told the AP that the club has been sent emails by Sig Hansen, captain of the Northwestern boat thats the focus of the Deadliest Catch documentary series on the Discovery Channel.Hes a big fan of the club, said Kean, who is a joiner/carpenter for his fathers building firm.Horner said East Kilbride-born actor John Hannah, who had roles in movies like The Mummy Returns and Sliding Doors, also is a supporter and has bought into the dream of a club that was only formed in 2010.East Kilbride is a so-called new town built in 1947 as part of the overflow from nearby Glasgow. It now has a population of 80,000 and a soccer team of which to be proud, the focal point of a community trust established by local businessmen who wanted to put something back into the area where they grew up. Among the backers for the project is Ally McCoist, a former Rangers and Scotland striker.Where we play used to be a muddy field with two highland cows on it, said East Kilbride official Ian Aitchison. Now its a field of dreams.East Kilbrides capacity at K-Park is for 500 spectators. Plans are afoot for a new facility, holding 6,000 spectators, to be built about a mile (two kilometers) away.The new stadium is another part of the jigsaw, Horner said. Our main ambition is to play in League Two (fourth tier) of Scottish football, as then were a senior club.That could soon be a reality.East Kilbride is 14 points clear in the Lowland League and is in line to enter a playoff system at the end of the season, when it could get the chance to play the last-place team in League Two.The immediate priority is extending the 27-match winning run, and next up is a game against Stirling University on Thursday. However long the streak stretches, though, it will never make it into the official record book.This is an outstanding achievement from East Kilbride, a club clearly going places and one their fans can be extremely proud of, Guinness World Records said in an email to the AP. However, due to the differing standards of professional football around the world, we only monitor records achieved in top division football. No Guinness World Records title on this occasion but a hugely impressive feat nonetheless.Chad Pinder Athletics Jersey . 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LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Mc Hammer Athletics Jersey . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy.NEW YORK -- As the last-place team in the National League East, the Atlanta Braves can afford to let someone learn on the job, as right-handed pitcher Ryan Weber will begin to do Wednesday night.Their opponents, the New York Mets, are in the thick of the NL wild-card race, and veteran right fielder Jay Bruce may not have any time left to snap out of a nearly two-month slump.Bruces place in -- or out -- of the lineup is sure to be a central topic Wednesday night, when the Mets try to avoid being swept by the Braves in the finale of a three-game series at Citi Field.Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran threw seven strong innings Tuesday, when the Braves withstood a late Mets comeback to eke out a 5-4 win. The result, coupled with wins by the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, dropped New York into a three-way tie with the Giants and Cardinals for the two NL wild-card spots.The Giants, Cardinals and Mets are all 81-70.The Mets looked as if they might be mounting a dramatic comeback during a three-run eighth inning Tuesday, when Eric Campbell -- a .172 hitter who had not batted in the majors since May 30 -- produced the second run of the frame with a pinch-hit RBI single. He batted in place of Bruce, who led the NL in RBI prior to an Aug. 1 trade to the Mets.Bruce, who didnt start either Sunday or Monday, went 0-for-3 Tuesday and is batting just .176 in 39 games with the Mets. He is 3-for-37 (.081) dating back to Sept. 5.Manager Terry Collins said it was a difficult decision to pinch-hit for the left-handed-hitting Bruce against southpaw Ian Krol but that he did so in the best interests of the team.Its one of the worst things you can do as a manager -- pinch-hit for a star, especially one of the elite power hitters in the game, Collins said. But you know, my job is to try to win the game.Bruce -- a three-time All-Star with 237 career homers -- said it was the first time he could remember being lifted for a pinch hitter but that he understood Collins decision.He diidnt need to explain that to me, said Bruce, who actually was replaced by a pinch hitter eight times previously.dddddddddddd I obviously get how the game is played, and you know what his thought process was there. I dont deserve any explanations from the manager. Hes the manager, he makes the decisions.Perhaps Bruce will get a chance to redeem himself against Weber, who will be making his second start of the season and his first since Sept. 5. Overall this year, he is 1-1 with a 5.46 ERA in 15 outings.Weber earned the opportunity to return to the rotation by throwing 4 2/3 innings of one-run relief in place of right-hander John Gant last Friday against the Washington Nationals.He did such a good job the other day, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said Monday. (He) was efficient and extended it so well, and hes somewhat stretched out. Just get the bird off the ground and get us in flight, see where we end up.Weber is 0-0 with a 7.56 ERA in two career games (one start) against the Mets.The Braves (60-91) look increasingly likely to end up with fewer than 100 losses, something that seemed inconceivable when manager Fredi Gonzalez was fired following a 9-28 start that had the club on pace to lose 120 games.Atlanta is 51-63 under Snitker and needs to win just three of its final 11 games to avoid the franchises first 100-loss season since 1988.They are big (games) for us -- thats why were going out there to win, not to show up, Snitker said. Were going out to try to win the ballgame.Ageless right-hander Bartolo Colon (14-7, 3.14 ERA) will look to serve as the stopper for the Mets. The 43-year-old veteran, who needs one more win to become only the fourth pitcher to ever win at least 15 games at age 43 or older, is 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 14 career starts against the Braves.In three starts against Atlanta this year, Colon is 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA. ' ' '