opener of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park

What is the Olympic readiness of Canadas champions after their first Grand Prix event? Are they on track or in trouble early in this Olympic season? The results from Skate Canada International in Saint John, New Brunswick, though mixed, bode well and while we are still over three months out, there are some encouraging signs and lots of reasons for optimism heading to Sochi. Cheap Air Max 95 . The one thing we know for sure is that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moirs new free dance has Olympics written all over it. Their music is by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, who is described as a Romantic Classicist. It is an emotionally poignant and uplifting piece that plays to Tessa and Scotts strengths and is bound to captivate the Sochi audience. Last year, the reviews for their provocative Carmen free dance were mixed. The daring darkness of the dance brought either "love it or hate it" kind of reactions. The reviews of the new Olympic free dance have been universal in their praise. Artistically and creatively, it is a winner and a crowd pleaser that is vintage Virtue and Moir. The gold will demand endless hours now of drilling and refining in preparation for challenging U.S. rivals Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The stage is set for an intriguing showdown. In an Olympic year, one cannot underestimate the value of a stable and supportive training environment and Patrick Chan has found that place in Detroit with coach Kathy Johnson. In his words, he is "happy" and it shows. He is patient and confident in practice, not perfect by any stretch but unfazed by any stumbles or jumping errors. In a warmup at Skate Canada, he had a jarring fall on a quad, shrugged, circled and did it again as it was intended. It was a decisive win at Skate Canada. His demeanour spoke of confidence, preparedness and experience, qualities that were missing heading into Vancouver. As he builds to Sochi and expectations rise and demands on him increase, it is the balance he has built in his life outside the rink and the foundation he has built in it that will, he hopes, make the difference. For Canadian pairs champions Meagan Duhammel and Eric Radford, it was a bit of a case of, youd better "dance with the one who brung you". In the past, it was their feisty ability to maximize technical risk and capitalize on it that got them to the world podium and it is the technical mark that let them down at Skate Canada International. In what Meagan called their lowest technical score ever, they dropped to third in their long program. Their focus in Saint John was on artistry and character development and, while they delivered emotionally charged performances, their new focus distracted them from what they do best and their challenge over the next few weeks will be to bring the old and new together. The one thing I know about these two is that they are fighters and, with the less than stellar start and their backs to the wall, they will come out swinging. Dont drop your hands, dont count them out. Just when Kaetlyn Osmond thought she could begin her Olympic quest in earnest, she suffered another setback. Having missed a number of weeks due to an injured foot heading into Skate Canada, Kaetlyn woke up after the short program with a sore hamstring and was unable to compete in the free skate. The word is, she has tears in two tendons in her hamstring and will see limited ice and training time for the next 7-10 days, at which time it is expected to have healed. It adds up to a lot of training missed and can set up the cycle of overtraining to catch up and then reinjuring. She is young and has a bubbly personality so it will be tough to contain her. Kaetlyn has three weeks until her next Grand Prix and it is their plan that she will compete. Other Canadian honorable mentions and notable performances were those of Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje who finished second in the Ice Dance event, Amelie Lacostes short program and Eladje Baldes quad in the short. One of the most compelling performances for me at Skate Canada International was that of 28-year-old Akiko Suzuki from Japan, who critics often dismiss as being too old and past her prime. Her performances were captivating and her joy was palpable every time she took the ice. Watching her compete, I was reminded of a conversation I had with Elvis Stojko before one of his Olympic Games. When discussing dealing with Olympic pressure, he said, "I just want to remember why it is I love to skate and, if I can think of that, I will have the right frame of mind to compete." Canadas skaters would do well to take that phrase to heart. Through all the hype and the weight of pressure and expectations of an Olympic season, it is remembering the pure joy of skating that can keep things in perspective, calm the nerves and inspire break-out performances on the road to Sochi. Cheap Air Max Store . He was still a kid, going into his senior year of high school. Thursday, the point guard stood in front of a couple dozen members of the media and spoke with poise about how much hed grown since then, and how hes ready for the next level. Mens Air Max 90 . The Reds will host the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the opener of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park, and the debut matchup will feature a pair of pitchers whose recent resumes have included a fair number of bases-clearing hits. http://www.airmax2018sale.us/ . "I could have been equipment manager but nooooo" from Lisa on Ice. Season 6, Episode 8.ATLANTA -- The Red Sox are headed home with a new streak and renewed optimism. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a two-run single during Bostons four-run seventh inning, and the Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 on Tuesday night in their latest comeback following their longest losing streak in 20 years. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and Grady Sizemore went 2 for 5 with a go-ahead groundout in the seventh. The Red Sox snapped their 10-game losing streak on Monday, overcoming a five-run deficit to top Atlanta 8-6. Now they have a winning streak and a feeling that its their turn for some good breaks as they prepare to play two games against the Braves in Boston. "Its good for our self-esteem," said Jonny Gomes, who singled and scored on Bradleys hit in the seventh, and then had a highlight-worthy catch in right field in the eighth. Jon Lester (5-6) snapped a personal two-game losing streak by giving up three runs and eight hits in six innings. "To come here ... with that streak and end up getting two (wins) here is really big," Lester said. Koji Uehara worked the ninth for his 11th save. "More than anything, our guys are having fun playing the game," Boston manager John Farrell said. "It was a tough 10-game stretch we came through but theres been plenty of energy kind of injected back in the dugout." Farrell said bloop hits by Gomes and David Ortiz in the seventh were good signs that luck has changed for the Red Sox. "It was good to see maybe the worm turn a little bit with runners in scoring position," Farrell said. Braves starter Aaron Harang left with a 3-2 lead after the sixth. Anthony Varvaro (1-1) took the loss. Jason Heyward hit a first-inning homer and Chris Johnson drove in two runs for Atlanta. The Braves had two injury scares. Catcher Evan Gattis was a late scratch after straining his right wrist in batting practice. He sat on the bench with a brace. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons left in the eighth with inflammation in his rigght ankle. Air Max White Online. "We dont see anything that is long-term," manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Simmons and Gattis. Simmons said the pain was "just a nagging thing. So hopefully it stops nagging." Harang gave up seven hits before Boston tagged the Braves bullpen in the seventh. Varvaro gave up one-out singles to Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia before left-hander Luis Avilan was summoned to face Ortiz. Ortiz, batting .283 against left-handers and .263 versus right-handers, hit an RBI single that made it 3-all. A day earlier, he homered and drove in four runs at Turner Field. He drew loud boos in the eighth when he grounded out and then broke his bat over his knee. After Ortiz tied it, Gomes blooper to right field loaded the bases. Sizemores broken-bat groundout drove in Pedroia for a 4-3 lead. After an intentional walk to David Ross, Bradley singled. The rally made a winner of Lester, who agreed with Farrells description of his outing as a "grind." "I made some decent pitches when I had to and minimized damage when I had to," Lester said. The Braves loaded the bases in the second but didnt score. Harang hit into a double play, and Heywards grounder to Pedroia ended the inning. Sizemore doubled with one out in the fourth and stole third. Gonzalez challenged the call, but a replay review showed Sizemore was safe. Ross hit a single that made it 2-all. Freddie Freemans first triple of the year set up the Braves go-ahead run in the fifth. Justin Upton walked and Johnson hit a blooper that fell in right, turning into a run-scoring forceout at second. Gomes delivered the defensive highlight of the game with his diving catch on Gerald Lairds sinking liner in the eighth. NOTES: Heywards homer was the first allowed by Lester to a left-handed hitter in 180 at-bats, including post-season games, since July 18, 2013. ... The teams will play the first of two games in Boston on Wednesday night when Red Sox RHP John Lackey faces RHP Gavin Floyd. 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