Dein erstes Forum » teams that are more than happy to methodical

ATLANTA -- Bartolo Colon was expected to just be a place holder in the New York Mets rotation until Zack Wheeler returned from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season.Wheeler, though, had a setback and the Mets have been hit by plenty of other bad pitching news, with Matt Harvey out for the year and most of the other projected starters ailing.Colon, who turned 43 in May, has gone from a veteran luxury to an ultra-necessary contributor as the Mets, winners of six straight games, try to make it make to the postseason.In fact, it wouldnt be a stretch to call the stocky right-hander a savior for the Mets season as they battle for a National League Wild Card spot.Colon takes a 13-7 record and a 3.22 ERA into Saturday nights start against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field and he has been even better than that has the season has worn down.The native of the Dominican Republic is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his past seven starts, including six scoreless innings in a victory at Cincinnati on Monday.Hes been the mainstay, Mets manager Terry Collins said. Hes the guy that every fifth day takes the baseball. We dont have to worry about pitch counts, we dont have to worry about innings. He just goes out there and does it.Hes had two starts where our bullpen was tired and we needed him to get deep in the game, and you looked up and he was in the eighth inning. Hes been a tremendous addition to the staff.Colon tossed eight scoreless innings in a victory over the Braves in New York on May 2 and is 9-3 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 career starts against Atlanta.Despite what seemed like a deep rotation, the Mets brought Colon back as a free agent on a one-year deal after he went 14-13 last year following a 15-13 season in 2014.Colon has been even better this season and his 231 career victories rank third among Latin American-born pitchers.One Braves hitter who has flourished against Colon, though, is Freddie Freeman. The first baseman has a .481 average and one of his 17 homers against the Mets have come against Colon.Of course, Freeman is hitting well against everyone right now, as shown by his 15-game hitting streak and 31 consecutive games reaching base safely.Im not doing anything different than when I was slumping. Im just actually hitting the ball, Freeman said. Early on in the season I was striking out a lot.Rookie John Gant, who will face off against Colon, returned after missing nearly eight weeks with an oblique strain and worked five innings at Philadelphia in a no-decision, giving up four runs (three earned) and striking out six last Saturday.Gant is 1/3 with a 4.70 ERA in 14 games, including five starts. His only major league victory came against the Mets in New York on June 17, when he allowed just two hits and a run over 6 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking two.Gant, 24, was taken by the Mets in the 21st round of the 2011 draft. He was dealt to the Braves in July last year as part of the trade that brought veteran infielders Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to New York.Nike Air Max 270 Just Do It Black . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Nike Air Max 270 Clearance . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. http://www.max270cheap.com/ . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Nike Air Max 270 React Discount . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Nike Air Max 270 React Black . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said.College football is still months away, and while thats literally eating away at all of our souls, the sports gods have been pretty good to us lately. We just finished up one of the greatest NBA Finals ever, and the U.S. made a semifinal run in Copa America.Were also nearing the end of what has been a spectacular Euro 2016 over in France. Futbol -- I mean soccer -- is growing more and more in popularity over here in the States, and even college footballs best havent been strangers to showing their growing interest in the sport over the years.Like the SEC blog did with the World Cup two years ago, we thought itd be fun to figure out the college football equivalents to the Euros final eight.I wonder if college football will adopt the jersey swapping tradition.Germany Alabama: No matter what, deep down you feel like these are the teams to beat. Germany just won the World Cup and Alabama just won the national championship. Both are loaded with talent, their defenses are suffocating and they both have overcome slow starts to hit their offensive strides late. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (the best in the world at his position) can pretty much be linked to just about every middle linebacker Nick Saban has coached at Alabama. Germany has seven combined World Cup and Euro championships, while Alabama claims roughly 151 national championships.France Ohio State: Both of these squads have tons of talent all over the place, but that talent is young, and you arent really sure how far it can go. However, its tough not to get excited about two teams that have the pieces to win it all right now. France was a favorite coming into the tournament, and the Buckeyes will be a playoff favorite as well. Quarterback J.T. Barretts rise, importance and style of play at Ohio State essentially makes him Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet rolled into one.Portugal LSU: Both squads always have elite, championship-level talent. You just cant help but want to pick both to win something exceptional each year. However, with all that talent have come disappointing finishes. Total hype killers. Leonard Fournette and Cristiano Ronaldo are considered by many to be the best in their respective sports, but Fournette and his Tigers sank after his Heisman train was derailed in early November last season, and Ronaldo has zero Euro or World Cup championships with Portugal.Belgium Clemson: The Tigers own one of the most exciting, fast-paced offenses led by Heisman front-runner quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Wayne Gallman.dddddddddddd Belgium also has one of the worlds most exciting, fast-paced offenses led by Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. Both clearly have the talent to win a title this year, but both can struggle with defensive consistency. Remember, Clemson surrendered at least 5.7 yards per play in seven games last year, including a season-high 6.7 in the national championship loss to Alabama.Italy USC: Two storied programs with pasts full of titles, but heading into 2016, both are being overlooked as title contenders. Italys surprise run into the final eight -- and that 2-0 upset of Spain -- would resemble a Clay Helton-led USC run this fall. Like Italy, outside of a couple of stars (JuJu Smith-Schuster and Adoree Jackson), you arent sure if the Trojans have the talent to win a title, but its still hard to overlook them.Wales Ole Miss: Both teams have a few household names that people will recognize. Chad Kelly is the Gareth Bale for Ole Miss, while Aaron Ramsey could represent top defensive end Marquis Haynes. But what are really expecting from either this year? Hugh Freeze has certainly built up Ole Miss to a true SEC West contender, but are we ready to put the Rebels in the playoff in 2016? And is Wales really gonna win it all? Like, really?Poland Michigan State: Two tough, gritty teams that are more than happy to methodically grind it out until the bitter end. Neither gets a ton of respect (which Michigan State loves), but we kind of like what they are. However, not many really know a ton about either. Everyone knows Polands Robert Lewandowski, and everyone knew Michigan States Connor Cook. But outside of die-hard fans, can you seriously name more than five starters for either? No, yet they still have some solid guys who can carry them in crunch time.Iceland Georgia Southern: Cinderella. Iceland has the smallest population in the tournament and qualified for the first time ever, while knocking off some big boys in the process. The most recent is England, which would be 2013 Florida. Iceland winning it all would be like Georgia Southern, which is new to the FBS level, winning it all in a magical playoff run in 2016. Not gonna happen, but, man, it would be awesome. ' ' '