Infos vom Webmaster » practice before Tuesdays game

LONDON - Nearly a year later, Swedish hockey star Nicklas Backstrom reached a settlement Thursday in his fight against the positive drug test that kept him out of the Olympic final in Sochi.The Washington Capitals centre dropped his appeal against the International Olympic Committee ruling that he committed a doping violation. In return, he was issued with the minimum sanction of a reprimand and cleared of any intention to cheat.The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, announced the settlement was reached after constructive discussions between Backstroms lawyers and the IOC, World Anti-Doping Agency, and International Ice Hockey Federation.Mr. Backstrom, WADA, the IOC and the IIHF are pleased that this matter has now been concluded and wish to clarify that at no time was Mr. Backstroms receipt of his Olympic silver medal at issue in the proceedings, CAS said.Backstrom tested positive for pseudoephedrine after Swedens win over Slovenia in the Olympic quarterfinals on Feb. 19, 2014. He said the stimulant was contained in a sinus medication he had been taking for allergies.An IOC disciplinary panel in Sochi ruled that Backstrom committed a doping violation. He was suspended and pulled from the Swedish team just hours before the Feb. 23 gold-medal game, which Sweden lost 3-0 to Canada.The Swedes were outraged by the timing of the decision, and said it affected the teams performance.A few weeks after the Olympics, the IOC ruled that Backstrom hadnt intended to enhance his performance, laying the blame for his positive test on the Sweden team doctor. Backstrom was allowed to receive the silver medal based on mitigating circumstances.Backstrom appealed in April to CAS, contending that no anti-doping rule violation occurred. WADA filed its own appeal to CAS in October, challenging the IIHFs ruling that Backstrom had not violated the agencys code and would face no further sanction.CAS said Backstrom agreed to withdraw his appeal against the IOC finding that he violated doping rules. In turn, WADA, the IIHF and the player agreed he should receive only a reprimand — the minimum applicable sanction permitted in the WADA code, CAS said.WADA, the IOC and the IIHF take this opportunity to state that there is no indication that Mr. Backstrom intended to enhance his sport performance by taking a prohibited substance, the statement said.The substance was contained in a product Backstrom was taking for medical reasons, he relied on the advice of his team doctor that it would not produce a positive sample, and he disclosed the product on his doping control form, the CAS statement said.Backstrom received his Olympic silver medal in a ceremony in Sweden on Aug. 28.___Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap Jeff Kent Jersey . - The infectious smile was missing from Nam Nguyen last week. Lance Berkman Astros Jersey .C. -- The Edmonton Oilers used a late-power-play goal to get a hard-fought road victory. https://www.cheapastros.com/2803o-roy-os...sey-astros.html. Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. Josh Reddick Jersey .com) - Novak Djokovic easily took care of Andy Murray to reach the final at the $2. Lance Berkman Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games.CLEVELAND -- Hisashi Iwakuma kept his road record spotless with one minor blemish. Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Iwakuma (9-5) improved to 9-0 with a 2.17 ERA in his last 14 road starts, the second-longest such streak in club history. The Japanese right-hander is 5-0 outside Seattle this season. "I didnt even know that," Iwakuma, speaking through a translator, said of his road perfection. "I dont what the secret is." Dustin Ackley hit a two-run double in Seattles four-run fourth against Trevor Bauer (4-6). Mike Zunino homered in the fifth for the Mariners, one of six teams scrapping for the ALs second wild-card spot. The Indians are 5-7 since the All-Star break and are trying to decide whether to be active before Thursdays trade deadline. Once again, Iwakuma didnt do anything to hurt himself. He allowed two runs and six hits, and only walked one -- his first free pass in six starts. The right-hander has walked just nine all season. "Im a little disappointed he walked a batter," joked Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon. "Hes pretty good. He did a nice job for us." Iwakuma went 35 2-3 innings and 139 consecutive batters without giving up a walk before he put Michael Brantley on with four consecutive balls in the first. McClendon laughed about Iwakumas stunning loss of control. "He doesnt mess around," McClendon cracked. "He gets it done and gets it out of the way." Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his league-leading 29th save, and 18th in 19 tries. The Mariners, who came in with the fewest runs scored in the AL, took a 4-0 lead in the fourth when they hit three doubles off Bauer. Kyle Seager opened the inning by bunting against the shift, pushing a ball down the third-base line. Bauer hit Zunino, and one out later, Corey Hart hit an RBI double. With two outs, Ackley ripped his double off the right-field wall to mmake it 3-0.dddddddddddd Chris Taylor added another RBI double just over the glove of leaping left fielder Chris Dickerson. Zuninos 16th homer gave the Mariners a 5-0 lead in the fifth and chased Bauer, who had gone at least six innings in each of his previous four starts. Iwakuma dominated the Indians through four, but Cleveland got two runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Yan Gomes and Jason Kipnis run-scoring groundout. RUNNING AMOK The Mariners, who hadnt scored five runs in their past six games, improved to 39-10 when scoring four or more in a game. "Thats a good position for us," Ackley said. "When we get ahead, it gives us a better feeling and puts the pressure on them." BUSTED Seattle snapped a six-game losing streak in Cleveland. The Mariners last win at Progressive Field was on Sept. 19, 2011. NICE GRAB Seattle centre fielder James Jones ran down a drive by Nick Swisher and made a leaping catch before crashing into the padded wall in the seventh. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: Left-hander James Paxton (strained back muscle) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and as long as there are no setbacks, he could start Saturday in Baltimore. He hasnt pitched in the majors since April 8. Indians: As centre fielder Michael Bourn rehabs his surgically repaired left hamstring, manager Terry Francona is trying to let the speedster recover at his own pace. Bourn has been on the disabled list since July 6, and its not yet known when he will go on a rehab assignment or be activated. Bourn took batting practice before Tuesdays game. ON DECK: Two of the ALs top pitchers match up in the second game of the series when Seattles Felix Hernandez takes on Clevelands Corey Kluber. Hernandez (11-2) has allowed two runs or less and pitched at least seven innings in 13 consecutive starts, an AL record. King Felix, though, is just 7-5 in his career against the Indians, with all five losses coming in Cleveland. Kluber (10-6) carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his previous start. ' ' '