Kritik und Lob » act status of Nationals RF Bryce Harper

Politics has no lock on the expression, October surprise. The month in tennis is chock-full of them. Things go topsy-turvy on the ATP Tour, as accumulated fatigue, an opportunistic push to bolster rankings or the decision to just tread water until the end of the season affects weekly results.The main storyline in mens tennis at the moment is that the most consistent player this fall has been the once reliably inconsistent Andy Murray. Currently ranked No. 2, hes in the midst of a hard sprint to catch No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Beyond that, the narrative is once again a colorful, unpredictable one.Its a fall brawl. Every day in late October seems like Halloween.The Kremlin Cup featured two qualifiers in the quarterfinals. Then Pablo Carreno Busta, who hadnt won an ATP title until this year, crushed Italian bad boy Fabio Fognini in the title match. Fognini hadnt won two consecutive matches this year since the Olympic Games.In Antwerp the same week, No. 77 Diego Schwartzman made the first final of his career on indoor hard courts. In the semis, he brushed aside two match points and upset top-seeded David Goffin. Schwartzman was up a break on No. 3 seed Richard Gasquet (remember when Gasquet was dubbed Baby Federer?) in the first set, but ultimately the No. 16 ranked Frenchman prevailed.I was the favorite to win, Gasquet acknowledged in his news conference afterward. So its important for me.Not everyone has taken the obligations of his station to heart this month. Dominic Thiem, ranked No. 9, has won exactly one match since Sept. 26. No. 5 Kei Nishikori, currently playing in Basel, has won just two more. Nick Kyrgios won Tokyo and inflamed hopes that hes matured and is prepared to embrace his professional obligations. Just days later, he self-immolated in Shanghai and got himself kicked out of the game.Rafael Nadal pulled the plug on his year with persistent pain in his wrist, and Djokovic was last seen smashing a racket, tearing apart his shirt and howling in outrage while being methodically beaten in the Shanghai semifinals by Roberto Bautista Agut.And say, whatever happened to Tomas Berdych?But in tennis, one mans misfortune is another mans jackpot. Never is it more true than in October. Grigor Dimitrov has made the most of the fall brawl to continue rebuilding a flagging reputation. The Baby Federer thing didnt work out any better for Dimitrov than it had for Gasquet. But Dimitrov is still just 25 and back up to No. 18 thanks partly to having made the final in Beijing and the semifinals in Stockholm.Goffin may have fumbled away an opportunity in Antwerp against Schwartzman, but the Belgian is fully aware of the opportunities offered in October. Hes gorging on fall tennis, with six events (and counting), excluding Davis Cup, since the US Open. Hes 12-6 since he was upset in the first round at Flushing Meadows by American upstart Jared Donaldson.The guy who has really cashed in this fall, though, is the big man everyone loves, hard-luck Juan Martin del Potro. October started on a bummer for him when he was beaten (as a wild card ranked No. 63) in the first-round of Shanghai by Goffin. But since then, del Potro has been on a tear. Still recovering from multiple wrist surgeries, his career all but destroyed, the 28-year-old from Argentina took a giant stride in his latest comeback with a tournament win, beating No. 23 Jack Sock in the Stockholm final last week. It was del Potros first title in 33 months and a wonderful ranking and morale-booster.After the win, he told the media, Ive been trying to fix my problems for the past two years, and I didnt expect to win a title at this moment in my career. I am so happy to get the trophy here. Its motivation for looking forward to the future.As October surprises go, that one was a beauty. And he might not be done yet. At a hulking 6-foot-6 and blessed with easy power, Delpo is built for the fall brawl.Oren Burks Super Bowl Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Montravius Adams Super Bowl Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. http://www.packersonlineteamstore.com/jaire-alexander-youth-jersey.html . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Marquez Valdes-Scantling Super Bowl Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Corey Linsley Super Bowl Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year.OXON HILL, Md. -- Stephen Strasburgs agent, Scott Boras, said the right-handers latest throwing arm injury should not create any problems in the future.I just go by what the doctors tell me -- Im not a medical practitioner -- but theyre all telling me that Stephen will be fine and this is something ... that just needed a period of time for it to heal, Boras told reporters Wednesday at baseballs winter meetings.They dont foresee anything, Boras added, that would cause him any form of impairment going forward.The 28-year-old Strasburg missed the end of the 2016 season for the NL East champions after hurting his right elbow in early September.Washington initially hoped he would be available for the playoffs, but then ruled him out for the NL Division Series. Even if the Nationals had reached the NL Championship Series -- they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS -- Strasburg would not have been able to pitch.Asked Tuesday whether he would change anything about the way he manages Strasburg, Nationals skipper Dusty Baker replied: No. I mean, I thought we handled him pretty good this year. Just some things happened. So well see how he is. If theres anything Im curious about, its how he is going into spring training. We have to see how he is, first, before we assess how well handle him. Im hoping that its all subsided.General manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday: Stephen Strasburgs healthy and preparing for spring training.The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft had Tommy John surgery in August 2011, then was shut down by the Nationals late in 2012 to protect his repaired elbow.This season, he started 13-0 with a 2.51 ERA, and in the midst of that stretch signed a $175 million, seven-year contract that begins next year. He went on the DL with elbow soreness in August after alllowing 19 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings over three outings, then left his first start back in the third inning and did not pitch again.dddddddddddd.Strasburgs final stats for 2016 were 15-4 with a 3.60 ERA and 183 strikeouts in only 147 2/3 innings.Hes in the process of still learning himself and learning his body. And so I just dont want to get too far ahead of myself, Baker said. I get to see all those guys on Friday and tap `em on the stomach and tap `em on the butt. ... They dont know what Im doing. They think Im saying, `Hello. But Im really checking for fat content, to see how much eating they can continue to do over the holidays.Game notesBoras would not offer much information on a hot topic during these winter meetings: The contract status of Nationals RF Bryce Harper, who can become a free agent after the 2018 season. I have not had any discussions with the Nationals on Bryce, other than were going to get around to talking about his arbitration-value contract for the upcoming year, Boras said. But other than that, we havent had any talks. As for the 2015 NL MVPs drop-off in production last season, Boras said: Certainly Bryce played through some nagging injuries. Not anything that was of permanence. And a lot of time, when ... you have a strained muscle, it affects your neck and what youre doing and things. But I dont think Bryce is the kind who wants to come out and talk about excuses. ... Rizzo said SS Danny Espinosa will play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. ... Boras said free agent Stephen Drew, who hit .266 in 143 at-bats as a utilityman for Washington this year, is mulling offers that would allow him to have an everyday role next season. ' ' '