Kritik und Lob » uch reminiscing in the days lead

Colorado is on an 11-game unbeaten streak and just added veteran goalie Tim Howard, but the Rapids have struggled to generate any offense recently and have dropped out of first place in the Western Conference.Colorado enters Saturdays game at the Vancouver Whitecaps trailing first-place FC Dallas by one point and is looking to end a string of back-to-back scoreless draws.Howard made his return to MLS and turned away just two shots on frame in Mondays 0-0 draw with defending-champion Portland. It was his first MLS match in 13 years.The result, for me, it was OK, Howard told reporters after his debut with the Rapids. Obviously, you always want to win, but we kept a clean sheet at home.Vancouver (7-8-3) got off 27 shots in a 2-0 loss at Los Angeles on Tuesday, but only four were on target and none of them found the back of the net. It was the Whitecaps third defeat in their last five MLS matches. They sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, just above the red line with 26 points.The Whitecaps have suffered only one loss at home since their opening match of the season, but have been shaky defensively. Vancouver ranks 18th in the 20-team league in goals allowed with 31.The Rapids (9-2-6), on the other hand, are thriving off of the best defense in the league. Theyve allowed a league-low 11 goals, and the addition of Howard enhances what was already the stingiest backline in MLS.But the Colorado offense could use a spark, something to break the Rapids out of their recent scoring drought. No player has scored more than three goals on the season, and the Rapids are near the bottom of the league with 19 total goals.Colorados defense will not be at full strength Saturday, with defensive backs Sean St. Ledger and Bobby Burling, and midfielder Dillon Serna out.This is the first meeting between the teams this season. 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Emmanuel Sanders Super Bowl Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL.TROON, Scotland -- You might not recognize Justin Leonard if you havent seen him in a while. The schoolboy visage of his younger years has given way to middle-agedness -- middle-agedness for a golfer, at least. The enduringly furrowed brow is decidedly less furrowed. Then theres the beard. Salt is noticeably creeping up on the pepper; it exists in varying shades of unkemptness, from marginally scruffy to consummate mountain man, which just happens to be a major part of his Twitter handle these days.This isnt a story about a few extra whiskers, though. Its about what they represent.Id never gone more than three or four days without shaving until this little stint, he explains. You know, theres a little bit of freedom in that. Leonards words might make it sound like hes taking a long weekend at the beach, but his actions are indicative of a major lifestyle change for him and his family.As he prepares for The Open at Royal Troon this week, site of his lone major championship victory back in 1997, the man who ranks 17th on the PGA Tours all-time money list with more than $33 million in official earnings returns with a new sense of perspective on the game.It all started early last summer. Mired in a slump that saw him miss nine consecutive cuts, Leonard started to feel the gravitational pull of other priorities after two decades as a touring pro. He wanted to be with his wife Amanda and their four young children more often. He wanted to pursue some hobbies. He wanted to try his hand at broadcasting. And he really didnt want to play golf as much as hed been playing.I just thought, You know what? Im not enjoying this, he says. I kind of started thinking about what life looks like after golf.He sat down with his family at their home in Dallas and explained that after so many years of everyone else making sacrifices for him, he wanted to repay the favor. He asked them where they wanted to be, what they wanted to do, if they could choose anything in the world.Before the year was over, theyd moved to the posh ski town of Aspen, Colorado.Life there, according to Leonard, is the antithesis of their previous PGA Tour hustle and bustle. Everything moves slower. They ski a lot. (Leonard says hes a scratch-handicap skier, but admits there are a whole lot of plus-2s out here.) They go on long bike rides. They hike. They see bears out in the wild.Theres such a theme of freedom in the last year, year-and-a-half, he says. I think thats the reason Im not stressed about these next couple of months. Whatever my path is, Im not stressed about it. Its just freedom.Others would be. After all, in between ski runs and bike rides and hikes and bear sightings, Leonard is still playing some golf, using his final remaining exemption at the age of 44 that he earned by being in the top 50 in the all-time PGA Tour money list. If he doesnt play well enough to retain his playing privileges this season, hell either have to wait nearly six years until hes PGA Tour Champions-eligible or start an aggressive letter-writing campaign for tournament invitations -- and he insists the latter isnt a serious option.But heres the real crazy part, as if a PGA Tour veteran giving up that life of luxury wasnt enough: In his limited starts, with little focus on practice and preparation away from tournament sites, Leonard is actually playing better than before.In nine appearances this season, hes already made seven cuts -- including each of his past five. If this strategy sounds familiar, its because he borrowed it directly from the playbook of Steve Stricker, who made a similar cutback a few years ago.I didnt think I could do it, but I was able to come out here and still be competitive, says Stricker. Hes still playing well, too. And hes way happier. I was the same way when I finally made that decision.In between those playing appearances, Leonard is seeking other opportunities. Hes served in a broadcasting role for Golf Channel telecasts three times so far since December, filling the lead analyst role at the Barracuda Championship two weeks ago, and still has two more upcoming gigs on this years schedule.ddddddddddddLike most things in his life these days, hes willing to see how it goes and isnt too worried about the future.Im peeking behind the curtain; I want to see if its something I enjoy and if they feel like I do a good job, down the road, who knows? he says. Id love to keep playing and keep my privileges and keep doing something similar, but if things dont work out golf-wise, maybe I do TV for a while, then maybe the candle gets lit again and I decide to play the Champions Tour. Maybe I decide to focus on TV. Whatever I do, its not going to be 30 weeks a year. Ive done that for more than half of my life. I still enjoy a little bit of travel and enjoy being around the game, but Im not interested in that kind of grind.Leonard understands that, in many respects, hes a great anomaly.Golfers on the back-nine of their careers tend to gradually fade away against their will. Hes comfortably pressing the fast-forward button, though it can be argued that technological advances in the game and the talents of younger players helped speed up his decision, too.I played with Adam Scott on Saturday at Riviera, Leonard explains with a laugh. Im thinking, OK, this is the reason Im playing 10 to 12 times, because of the things that he can do on the golf course. Im referring to length and the clubs that he hits into par 4s and par 5s and stuff compared to me. My game doesnt translate as well to todays game as it did 15, 20 years ago.To be fair, Scott is only nine years younger than Leonard, but the point sticks: In the days of persimmon woods and balata balls, Leonards game might have stood the test of time longer than it does now.Some of his peers that have witnessed this career trajectory arent just impressed with the decision to scale back. Theyre even a little envious.Im more jealous of him than he is of me, because of where he lives, admits Zach Johnson, who visited Leonard in Aspen earlier this year. I think what Justin is doing is admirable. I respect it.His priority right now is living a lifestyle that certainly is of a high integrity. His priority is his kids; thats obvious. Theyre all happy where they are right now. Their contentment is not superficial. You can tell that theyre content. Theres a peace about where they are in their lives right now. Its very attractive; its contagious. You want to be around it as much as you can.Adds Phil Mickelson: Hes really happy. Its a perfect fit for him and Amanda -- their active, healthy, fun lifestyle. Its a great way to raise their kids to be outdoors and really appreciate the natural environment. Its a perfect fit for them.Along with fellow Troon champions Mark Calcavecchia and Todd Hamilton, Leonard will receive an honorary membership to the club as part of this weeks festivities.While he calls holing the eventual winning putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup his greatest moment, Leonard makes the distinction that claiming a Claret Jug was the best achievement of his career. He insists, though, that there wont be too much reminiscing in the days leading up to the tournament. He wont visit certain spots on the course and try to walk down memory lane again.If theres a putt I missed, Id be like, man, I need to hit it again, he says with a laugh. But that Sunday, I made almost everything. So overall, Ill just enjoy being back at Troon. Ill enjoy playing in the Open Championship and everything that it means.That attitude is a perfect fit for Leonards newfound persona.He is a professional golfer who moved to Aspen, who spends his days skiing and hiking, who sports an unkempt beard that helps contradict everything we knew about him for the past two decades. Hes relaxed, hes happy and hes no longer worried about the daily rigors of trying to be one of the best players in the world.I found a lot of freedom from the game, he says. It consumes us. Ive gotten freedom from that and freedom from expectations. I feel like Ive kind of come into the person that I always thought I wanted to be. ' ' '