The CFL Adopts Major Rule Changes for 2015

-
0
The CFL Adopts Major Rule Changes for 2015

CFL CFL

Christian Post Report – The CFL has made major rule changes for the 2015 season

The Canadian Football League has approved major rule changes for the 2015 season. Most of the new rules deal with the point after conversion with an emphasis on making that play less automatic and create a more exciting convert attempt for the fans.

The CFL’s President and Chief Operating Office Matt Copeland made the following statements as reported by CFL.ca: “The Board endorsed the view that this is a great time for our league to innovate. We’re looking forward to putting in place changes that have the potential to improve an already great game.”

The one point kick which was being snapped at the 12 yard line will now be moved back to the 32 yard line. In 2014 99.4 percent of the single point kicks were successful, which makes for boring play. In field goals attempted from the 31-33 yard line, the percentage dropped to 81 percent, which makes a one point convert less of an automatic play.

In another rule the CFL moved the two point convert from the five yard line to the three. This was done in an attempt to get more coaches to take the risk of the two point play and create more exciting plays on the field. In 2014 only 30 percent of two-point conversions were successful, but the league as a whole only attempted 23 of them.

Beyond making for exciting single play in a game, the new rules could bring about a interesting scoring dynamic. If more scores are of six and eight points, then late game strategy could wind up being radically different. If a kicker struggles from 32 yards more CFL coaches may opt for the two-point try to make up for misses. Either way this is a growing trend in football and the NFL will likely adopt similar rules at the league meeting in May.

Source : Christian Post

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Joe Nathan on the Disabled List, Who is Left in the Bullpen?

-
0
Detroit Tigers Pitcher Joe Nathan on the Disabled List, Who is Left in the Bullpen?

Joe Nathan Reuters.com

Christian Post Report – Joe Nathan continues to struggle, what will the Detroit Tigers do?

The Detroit Tigers’ bullpen got a little thinner yesterday. On the same day that the team placed starter Justin Verlander on the disabled list and recalled Kyle Lobstein from Triple A Toledo to take his place, the team also announced the closer Joe Nathan would make a trip to the 15-day disabled list as well. Blaine Hardy has been brought up to fill a spot in the bullpen. Joakim Soria has been named the interim closer, but the team expects Nathan to get healthy and return to that role.

The bullpen is the weakest part of the Tigers 2015 roster. This move leaves the Tigers without a solid 8th inning guy, which is compounded by the fact that they do not have a designated 7th inning guy. However, while some view that as a negative, it gives Manager Brad Ausmus an opportunity to run his bullpen more like famed Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson. Ausmus has a week or so to use guys in multiple roles and to see exactly what he has in the pen and who can be counted on down the road.

Even though Nathan earned his first save of the year on Opening Day, it seems he has been battling arm soreness for a bit now.

“From what he said and from how his face looked, you could tell it was bothering him quite a bit,” Ausmus said. “From the time I’ve known him, he’s never said I can’t throw, and today, in not so many words, he said, ‘I probably shouldn’t throw today,’ which tells me it was really bothering him.”

Recalling Hardy now gives the Tigers three left-handed relievers which is kind of rare. Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Krol are the other two, and Gorzelanny is a veteran brought in over the off season while Krol is the last piece left over from the Doug Fister trade. That seems to indicate Ausmus wants options in his pen for the time being.

Source : Christian Post

Arizona Diamondbacks Make Big Moves in the Off Season

-
0
Arizona Diamondbacks Make Big Moves in the Off Season

Arizona Diamondbacks MLB/Arizona Diamondbacks

Christian Post Report – The Arizona Diamondbacks just signed a big time local TV deal

The Arizona Diamondbacks were 64-98 in 2014 after finishing with a 81-81 record the two season prior. They hired Tony La Russa to be their Chief Baseball Officer and have now entered a rebuilding project. Manager Kirk Gibson and his staff were replaced, and now LaRussa and new General Manager Dave Stewart have gone about rebuilding their roster. They feel like they are close to contending, and have been very active this off season.

Chip Hale is the new manager, and he came over from the Oakland Athletics. This is his first MLB managerial job. He faces an interesting challenge in Arizona. The Diamondbacks were a last-place club but his front office expects the team to finish with a winning record and possible even contend for the division sooner rather than later.

The Diamondbacks have a plan and the went about their off season work shedding themselves of contracts that felt were not making the team better on the field. They took those saving and reinvested them in talent. Most notable the team signed Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas to a six year $68.5 million deal. However, the is an opt out clause in the deal after year four. Many expected the 24-year-old to fetch a $100 million deal so the Diamondbacks might have gotten him for a bargain.

The Diamondbacks also signed a Cuban pitcher right handed Yoan Lopez to a deal with a $8.25 million signing bonus. That outlay put the D’Backs over the allotted pool space given each MLB team to sign international players and they now not be allowed to sign an international player for more than $300,000 for the next two signing periods. That is a big risk but all indications are Lopez has MLB skills. Due to MLB rules he had to sign a minor league deal and after being with the team during Spring Training will begin his development in America in the low minors.

Source : Christian Post

NASCAR 2015 All-Star Race Changes Announced: More Laps Added

-
0
NASCAR 2015 All-Star Race Changes Announced: More Laps Added

All Star Race NASCAR

Christian Post Report – NASCAR has announced rules and format changes for its annual All Star Race

NASCAR has announced changes to its All-Star race, which is an annual event held each May at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This will be the 31st installment of the Sprint All Star race and its format has been altered significantly.

The race will now be a 110-lap affair. The first four segments will be 25 laps a piece and the final leg will be a 10 lap shootout. The race will feature a minimum of 20 drivers. 17 of those drivers are now set, with two spots being reserved for winner of the Sprint Showdown segment, a race that is held directly before the All-Star race, and a final fan vote will set the field.

Race winners from the 2014-15 Sprint Cup series are eligible for the race as long as all past NASCAR Sprint Cup Champions and previous winners of the All Star race itself. This is a slight change in the rules as previous races had been run with drivers accomplishing those things in the past 10 years.

As it stands right now AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, and Tony Stewart are eligible for the race.

This is a non-points event with the winner to earn a prize of $1 million dollars. Over the years it has featured some of the best racing on the Sprint Cup circuit as drivers put their cars in situations that would not normally do while racing for points.

In a statement, NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell talked about the changes.

“These updates were made to ensure that our fans have every opportunity to see the best drivers in one of our crown jewel events and give them even more on-track action,” he said. “Expanding this field and adding laps delivers that to our fans, raising the competition level and ensuring that this race continues to be the biggest all-star event in all of sports.”

Source : Christian Post

Justin Verlander on the Disabled List After Spring Training Injury

-
0
Justin Verlander on the Disabled List After Spring Training Injury

Justin Verlander reuters.com

Christian Post Report – for the first time in his career Justin Verlander will go on the disabled list

For the first time in his professional career, Justin Verlander has been placed on the disabled list. Verlander strained his triceps in his final Sprint Training start. The Detroit Tigers were hopeful he would be healthy enough to pitch on April 12, but that was not to be. He will be eligible to return April 13.

To replace his spot on the roster, the Tigers will turn to left hander Kyle Lobstein, who never really had a shot to make the big league roster and was assigned to the Triple A Toledo Mud Hens. Lobstein will make the start on April 12 against the Cleveland Indians. Lobstein spent 2014 in Toledo recording a record of 9-11with a 4.07 ERA and 1.479 WHIP.

“It’s disappointing,” Verlander told Mlive.com. “Obviously, everything I’m doing was to try to get ready for Sunday. The days just kind of stack up. I needed to be able to pitch on Tuesday to be able to do that. I just wasn’t ready.”

Now the Tigers have to find a way to get Verlander back into the rotations once he is 100 percent. They will have run through their starting five (four) once this Friday when Alfredo Simon takes the mound in Cleveland. That would leave David Price tentatively set to start Saturday with Lobstein set to go Sunday. The next series is a three-day affair in Pittsburgh.

Tigers’ manager Brad Ausmus said “I can’t tell you where we’re going to slot him in. After Sunday, we can kinda slot him in wherever we want, based on where he is physically and how he feels.”

Source : Christian Post

Boston Red Sox Extend Rick Porcello’s Contract

-
0
Boston Red Sox Extend Rick Porcello’s Contract

Rick Porcello reuters.com

Christian Post Report – The Boston Red Sox go all in on Rick Porcello

Rick Porcello just got paid. Following an off-season trade to the Boston Red Sox and a year away from hitting the open market Porcello signed a four-year $82.5 million extension that will likely keep him in Boston and may even make him the ace of their staff.

The deal will pay Porcello $20 million per season for the first two years and then $21 million dollars for the last two. It also contains a limited no trade clause where Porcello can block trades to three clubs.

$20 million a season may be a lot to pay for Porcello, and the Red Sox have gambled big on their off season acquisition. They are betting he takes the next step in his development. In Detroit Porcello was a back-of-the-rotation starter with decent stuff. At 26-years-old he is entering his sixth full season in the major leagues but he has never shown that he has Ace stuff. He does induce a lot of ground ball, and that will serve him well in Fenway Park, but he is still somewhat unproven.

In Detroit he pitched behind some of the greatest arms of this generation. He has yet to earn an All-Star nod, a single vote for a Cy Young, and has only pitched more than 200 innings once. While he does have a lot of upside, he goes from being another rotation guy with the Tigers to being the guy with the Red Sox.

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald sums up Porcello as a young player who fits the Red Sox roster, not necessarily a superstar on his own.

“Porcello’s youth is the main draw, but that youthful resume does not contain a surplus of markers that signal greatness,” he wrote. “There are some tantalizing hints that the right-hander will see his best years in the near future, and the chief reasons stem from his age. One reason why the Red Sox have faith in Porcello is that the ballclub believes its infield defense is superior to the one that he had behind him in Detroit.”

Now the Red Sox have to hope that Porcello take a giant step in his development so their bet on him can pay off.

Source : Christian Post

A Double Shot of Gospel!

-
0
A Double Shot of Gospel!
A Double Shot of Gospel!

Currently there are about 12,000 Starbucks stores across the United States. These 12,000 stores are strategically located in high end strip malls, busy corners and Target Store entrances. They are designed to draw us in and give us the coffee (and snacks and atmosphere and, did I say coffee?) we love.

Christian Post Report – Starbucks has done the best job of any coffee company in existence of penetrating the market and saturating the nation. Their green and white circle sign of deliciousness draws us weary travelers in like a bee to a honey flavored Frappuccino (is there such a drink? Just wait and I’m sure there will be!)

So how can Starbucks saturate the physical cravings of decaffeinated Americans and the church cannot satisfy the spiritual thirst of Americans with the living water? After all, there are only 12,000 Starbucks coffee shops in the United States and there are over 300,000 Protestant churches! That’s right! We outnumber Starbucks by 25 to 1!

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/5-things-starbucks-can-teach-about-effective-evangelism-137099/

Source : Christian Post

Detroit Lions NFL 2015 News, Rumors: Can Ryan Broyles Become an Impact Player for Lions?

-
0
Detroit Lions NFL 2015 News, Rumors: Can Ryan Broyles Become an Impact Player for Lions?

Christian Post Report – Ryan Broyles for most NFL fans is a forgotten player. A second round draft pick (54th overall) in the 2012 NFL draft that has never made much of an impact. He has lost time due to injuries to both legs. However, in Detroit in a receiver corps that features Calvin Johnson and now Golden Tate, Broyles is one the players on the Lions roster who is most talked about. That may be because of General Manger Martin Mayhew’s Matt Millen like infinity for drafting wide receivers and tight ends that never live up to their draft status.

Ryan Broyles reuters.com

The Detroit Lions spent a second round pick on Ryan Broyles in 2012, but injuries have limited his effectiveness ever since

Now days Broyles is the fifth wide out on a team that dresses four. He has shown some flashes of greatness including a particularly good preseason campaign a year ago. He led the Lions in pre-season catches and then was basically unheard from during the regular season.

Mlive.comn reports that Head Coach Jim Caldwell has been watching tape this off season and they reported the coach saying, “I think he did show obviously some promises, particularly during the preseason,” Caldwell said. “He and Kellen (Moore) hooked up for quite a few. … He made quite a few plays over that time. Hopefully he’ll continue to improve, and find a way to work his way out on the field and do something for us.”

Mlive also reported statements made by Lions Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi.

“Listen, when the guy’s been in there, he’s been productive. And we’re excited to see where he is now after a full season of not coming back from an injury. He’s had a full year to be healthy, and we’re excited to see what he does here in the offseason and heading into camp,” he said.

If Broyles can return to the field and stay healthy he gives the Lions offense another weapon that can help stretch defense. If he cannot it is another story of a Mayhew high round draft pick that flamed well before his time.

Source : Christian Post

Priest Murdered in Mexico Yet Again; Archbishop Asks ‘When Will Bloodshed End?’

-
0
Priest Murdered in Mexico Yet Again; Archbishop Asks ‘When Will Bloodshed End?’
Mexico murders (Photo: Reuters/Tomas Bravo)

Flowers arranged in the shape of a heart are seen during a protest to demand more information about the missing students of the Ayotzinapa Teachers’ Training College “Raul Isidro Burgos” at Zocalo Square in Mexico City, November 9, 2014.

Christian Post Report – A Roman Catholic priest has been murdered in Mexico yet again, which the Vatican has said is the most dangerous country in Latin America for clergymen. Father Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz was found by authorities with a bullet wound in his head and abandoned on a dirt road.

The office of the Archbishop of Morelia released a statement reading: “United in prayer, we are indignant at the death of Father Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz, of Capuchinas in Salvatierra Guanajuato. When will this end? Enough with so much blood spilled!”

Authorities said that the priest, who served as a pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary in Salvatierra, Guanajuato, was murdered on Monday. They found that his wallet, money, and phone were stolen, leading them to conclude that robbery was the main motive behind the attack.

The LA Times noted that Díaz, 60, is the 10th priest to be killed in Mexico in the past two years, with three priests being murdered in the nearby state of Guerrero in 2014 alone.

The Archbishop of Morelia, Cardinal Alberto Suárez Inda, confirmed the news of the murder, and noted that he ordained Díaz as a priest on Jan. 8, 1986.

“With deep sorrow I announce the death of Father Francisco Javier Gutiérrez Díaz, of the Congregation of the Workers of the Kingdom of Christ. After leaving his parish on Monday, April 6, he was killed and his body was found outside Salvatierra,” Inda told Fides News Agency.

“We ask the Lord to forgive those who caused this serious crime,” he said.

Father Prisciliano Hernández, identified as a friend of Díaz by El Observador, added: “I can’t find the words to express my pain at the death of my friend and my brother, who in his life cut down evil and hate. It’s a cruel injury that wounds the soul of his family, his friends and a community that prized and loved the priest [….] He’s one more victim of the violence that lives in our country. We pray that his soul rests in peace.”

Pope Francis has condemned the growing number of murders committed against priests in Mexico, including the killing of the Rev. Gregorio Lopez Gorostieta, whose body was discovered on Christmas Day in 2014. Gorostieta, who was kidnapped by armed men from a seminary in Ciudad Altamirano a week earlier, was found strangled to death.

The pope said that the priest was the victim of “unjustifiable violence.”

The Vatican released statistics last year that revealed Mexico is the most dangerous country in Latin America for priests, recording at least 47 attacks against members of clergy committed in the past 24 years.

Source : Christian Post

‘Nashville’ Season 3 Spoilers: Juliette Barnes is Back and She’s Quite Disappointed With Rayna

-
0
‘Nashville’ Season 3 Spoilers: Juliette Barnes is Back and She’s Quite Disappointed With Rayna

Christian Post Report – Avid followers of the hit musical drama TV series “Nashville” Season 3 will be glad to know that the show’s upcoming episode will feature the return of one of its beloved characters.

Hayden Panettiere Facebook/ Nashville

Hayden Panettiere on Nashville

Juliette Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere) has been seen for most part of the season staying at home and has only talked to Avery (Jonathan Jackson) over the phone. For those familiar with the actress who played the character of the country singer, they might know that she has to attend to her real-life pregnancy. Spoiler reports indicated that her return to the small screen will still see her with a huge baby bump.

Spoiler reports for this week’s segment said that Rayna’s (Connie Britton) plan for a “star-studded” baby shower will go awry as she is pulled into Sadie’s (Laura Benanti) family drama. This will make the mother-to-be really mad, the sneak peek video for episode 17 reveals

Rayna arrives to explain her absence, but Juliette seems a little bit too upset to hear her reasons.

“I have spent the day at the police station if you can believe it. Poor Sadie,” Rayna says in the promo video. Juliette, who appears to know the real situation, didn’t really care if Sadie’s abusive husband, Pete (Jay Wilkison) is dead or alive from the shooting.

“Sadie, she just gets all the attention,” Juliette retorts. “Sadie, I mean she decides to shoot someone and she’s your number one priority, isn’t she?”

Rayna tried to patch things up, but to no avail.

“I am relieved,” Juliette claims. “I am relieved since now I know exactly where I stand. Somewhere below your precious little label and your stupid, perfect hair.”

The verbal tirade went on and on. Then everything stopped when Juliette announced: “I think my water just broke.”

“Nashville” Season 3 airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Source : Christian Post

1...3,4893,4903,491...3,894Page 3,490 of 3,894