¤ milky moon ¤

After a long, hard Olympic season, the skaters at this years World Championships reveled in the adulation of their Japanese audience. The Saitama Super Arena, just outside of Tokyo, was packed with over 18,000 skating fans who hung on the skaters every move. For many of the skaters - after performing for an often-disinterested and sometimes intimidating crowd at the Sochi Games - the Saitama audience was the perfect antidote to a physically and emotionally exhausting Olympic year. You could see the skaters take the ice with the knowing attitude of, "it doesnt get better than this!" and in the end, whether their performance was, in itself, a personal best or somewhat subpar, you could sense the their joy at being there and read the gratitude etched on their faces as they acknowledged their audiences, took their bows and soaked in the moment. In return, the skaters rose up and delivered some of their best performances ever and fittingly, hometown heroes Mao Asada and Yuzuru Hanyu both won gold. On the way to her win, Mao set the highest Short Program score ever recorded and Yuzuru edged his teammate Tatsuki Machida by less than a point to become the first man in 12 years to win World and Olympic gold in the same year. The Canadian Team, without recent Olympic medalists Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir and Patrick Chan, stepped up and won medals in both the Pairs and Dance. Canada also qualified one of the largest teams for next years Worlds due in part to its depth in all four disciplines. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje won a silver in Dance - missing gold by the tiniest of margins - .02. They had back to back, awesome skates but their free dance for me was Weaver and Poje at their finest. Their connection to each other, their ability to capture the subtleties of the music and their powerful edge work, were highlighted in their masterful tango. What stood out for me in their performance was the fact that their program is balanced in its difficulty throughout, not just during the required technical elements. Their skating has continued to grow and develop this season and you could feel their momentum and their sense of purpose building in the days before the competition. So when a couple of the top teams had minor baubles and left the door ajar in the short dance, they strode through. They are the real deal and will be a force going forward. Canada was the only country to have three teams in the Top 10, which is awesome in itself but even more extraordinary when you look at the fact that Virtue and Moir where not there. Canadian teams moved back to podium position in the pairs, with Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford winning bronze and Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch finishing fourth. The differences are so small at the top of the field in pairs that both teams, who were terrific in Japan, will have to look for new ways to reinvent themselves if they are to challenge for the top of the podium in coming years. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch were pretty much flawless in this event, but couldnt quite get to the podium which tells me that they may need to up the ante technically. Their performance in the free was, I thought, one of the highlights of these World Championships but they were a little too far back in the short to make up the distance. They have charming programs and are extremely well trained and capable which has served them well, but has left them just off the World podium two years in a row. They need that little bit more and the challenge is where and how to get it? More technical risk most likely. Strategy is going to be key for them going forward. Duhamel and Radford found that a little less worked for them here. Known for taking extreme risk, they simplified slightly going into some of their more difficult elements and that made all the difference for them, compared to Sochi. It freed them up to execute their elements cleanly, perform better and the medal was their just reward. The results were disappointing for Kevin Reynolds and Kaetlyn Osmond in the singles events in Japan but they have both had that kind of a season. Much has gone wrong for them this year except when it mattered most. With an Olympic Medal on the line, they delivered big time at the team event in Sochi. Without their solid showing , Canada would not have won silver. That silver is the lining in an otherwise glad its over kind of season. The good news is that there is a whole spring and summer ahead to regroup, heal and rebuild. Kaetlyn can - for the first time - look forward to two Grand Prix assignments this year. She qualified last year too, but injury took her out. Its what she needs the most, experience. She has come so far in such a short time with little international experience to build on. In an Olympic season that is relentless, missing training time going in as both Kevin and Kaetlyn did, undermines everything. I believe that this approaching offseason is a crucial time for them as they head into the next Olympic quadrennial. Its right now when they must make up for lost training time and get back on track. Bright lights for team Canada at this years Worlds were 15-year-old Nam Ngyuen and 16-year-old Gabby Daleman who both hit personal bests in their free programs and showed that they are ready for the big time. They were not intimidated at all by the size of the event or the numbers in the stands in fact they fed off it. Both are charming and feisty at the same time and one saw clearly that they arent prepared to wait their turn. So the stage is set for the next four years and from what we saw in Japan, Canada is in great shape going forward. . Even if he is shooting 38 per cent from the field overall this season, the Utah Jazz rookie always feels like his final shot is going in. .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. http://www.chelseasoccerjerseysonline.c ... ea-jersey/. As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. . Goergl, the 2011 world champion, started 28th after the other top contenders had already gone down but had the fastest time at each interval. Goergl finished the demanding 3-kilometre Kaelberloch course in 1 minute, 47. SEATTLE -- Lloyd McClendon is always looking for a little pop to come from his designated hitter when he sets up the Seattle Mariners lineup. Yes, even when Endy Chavez is the DH. "How about Endy?" McClendon said. "That was a pretty good swing." Chavez homered for the first time in more than a year and Seattles bullpen was again stellar behind starter Chris Young in the Mariners 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. Chavez singled and scored in the first inning, then ended the night for Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer with a solo home run into the right-field seats with one out in the seventh. It was Chavezs first homer since May 30, 2013, at San Diego, a span of 265 plate appearances. "It feels great, especially in a tight game," Chavez said. "Im glad to hit a home run in that situation and put us in a better situation to win the game." Kyle Seager had two hits, including an RBI single, to continue his hot hitting at home. Brad Miller also added an RBI single as Seattle won for the sixth time in seven games. Seager is hitting .613 in his past eight home games, but McClendon continues to be unsatisfied and expecting more from his third baseman. "Hes getting better," McClendon said with a smirk. Fernando Rodney worked the ninth for his 22nd save although it was bumpy. Nick Swisher singled and scored on Michael Bourns two-out single, but Rodney got Asdrubal Cabrera to pop up for the final out. Rodney was the last of five Seattle relievers that allowed three hits and struck out four after Young was lifted. Young (7-4) was done after five innings despite giving up just four hits and one run. The Indians made him work deep into counts and his pitch count was at 91 after five innings. "They made me work and I wasnt as sharp as I wanted to be and I was probably a little lucky tonight. They hit some balls hard right at guys," Young said. "The bullpen came in and did a phenomenal job. Those guys pickked me up.dddddddddddd" Joe Beimel tossed a perfect sixth and Danny Farquhar was solid in the seventh, although the Indians missed a chance to keep the inning alive because of a poor baserunning decision. With two outs, first baseman Logan Morrison booted Bourns grounder with Swisher on first. Swisher never stopped at second, but Morrison recovered and threw him out at third. Cleveland threatened again in the eighth on a two-out walk by Carlos Santana and a double from Jason Kipnis. Charlie Furbush got Lonnie Chisenhall to ground out, ending the inning. "The bullpen has been outstanding. Theyve been unbelievable. You just have complete confidence in all of them," Young said. "Tonight is a perfect example why. They came in, got 12 big outs and we won." Chavez led off the first with an infield single and stole second base with two outs. Seager then dumped a single into centre and Chavez was able to score standing up. The Mariners scored in almost the same way in the fourth. Michael Saunders singled with two outs and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Miller looped a base hit to centre for a 2-1 lead. Chavez provided some cushion with the 29th homer of his career. It was the third straight start in which Bauer (2-4) pitched into the seventh, but he has not finished that inning this season. He threw 111 pitches, below his season high of 119, and gave up nine hits while striking out five. "Early he fought his command a little bit, he didnt work ahead very often," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "But as he got into the game, I thought he got much better." NOTES: Seattles bullpen has allowed two earned runs in the past 24 innings. ... Cleveland plans to start LHP T.J. House in Sundays series finale. House still must be recalled from the minors. ... The Indians hope RHP Justin Masterson, scratched from Sundays start with a sore knee, will be able to go Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. ' ' '