Kershaw shaved off his scraggly beard for Sunday nights trip to Min

Four days after being praised as a hero for helping Russia win its first gold at the Sochi Olympics, Evgeni Plushenko was taking criticism Friday for dropping out of the mens figure skating. Cardinals Jerseys 2019 . Plushenkos strong performance in the team event brought wide accolades for his determination to overcome injury. But on Thursday he withdrew before the mens short program, complaining of severe spinal pain during the warmup. Plushenko was Russias only men singles skater in Sochi. He won the slot in a closed exhibition skate that cut out Maxim Kovtun, who beat him in the Russian nationals. Among his critics was longtime rival Alexei Yagudin, the 2002 Olympic gold medalist. He told the R-Sport news agency he supports "people who go to the end." "I think Zhenya will understand my words," he said, using the familiar version of Plushenkos name. "We always competed through the pain." The choice of Plushenko as the sole Russian man was debatable. Although he was the dominant skater the past 15 years, with an Olympic gold and two silvers before coming to Sochi, he is 31-years-old and underwent back surgery a year ago. When he was selected, advocates argued his long international experience made him a stronger choice than the 18-year-old Kovtun. Decision comes under fire But that came under sharp questioning Friday. "You should go when its time," Ruslan Nugmatullin, a former Russian national soccer goalkeeper said on Twitter. "Kovtun earned the right to participate in Sochi2014." Alexei Urmanov, the 1994 Olympic gold-medal winner, suggested that Plushenkos hubris backfired. "Its on the conscience of Zhenya, the team and the federation," he was quoted by R-Sport. To some politicians, Plushenkos withdrawal was a blow to Russias national pride. "Perform through the pain for the honor of the country," Igor Lebedev, a parliament member from the nationalist Liberal Democrats, said on Twitter. Elena Vaitsekhovskaya, the figure skating correspondent for Russias Sport-Express newspaper, seemed weary not only of the intrigue behind Plushenkos selection but also of the appearances of his flamboyant wife, Yana Rudkovskaya, in the mixed zone to support him. "All of this was reminiscent of an incompetently directed stage show," she wrote. "It became harder and harder to sympathize with the athlete." "The one-man show in Sochi has concluded. Real sport has begun," she said in the newspapers Friday edition. But more complaints may still come. "After Sochi, the federation will have to answer for its choice," nationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky said. Jose Martinez Cardinals Jersey .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday. Roger Maris Jersey . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/204t-roger-maris-jersey-cardinals.html . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran.LOS ANGELES -- A.J. Ellis hasnt had many opportunities to drive in important runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season because of his two stints on the disabled list. But Ellis was in the batters box at the right time Saturday night. His bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted the Dodgers 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres and increased his RBI total to seven. "Its great to be in those situations. Its something you always want to be a part of," Ellis said. "After the eighth inning, I looked up at the scoreboard. I saw where I was hitting and I said, You know, theres a chance something could happen in the ninth. "And I got in a position to be the guy who drives in the big run." Adrian Gonzalez greeted Kevin Quackenbush (1-2) with a leadoff double before Matt Kemp struck out and Andre Ethier was intentionally walked. Juan Uribe then worked out a seven-pitch walk that included two checked swings that were upheld on appeal by first base umpire Jim Wolf. Ellis then lifted a 1-2 pitch to right field after Padres manager Bud Black then employed a drawn-in five-man infield. "You cant even look at them," Ellis said. "One of the worst things you can do as a hitter is try to direct the ball. You just hit it where its pitched. In that situation, Im looking to get a ball in the outfield, anyway, so the infield is the least of my concerns. Im just looking for something up that I could hit to centre or right, and I was really happy to find a pitch up there." Kenley Jansen (1-3) pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory, striking out cleanup hitter Yasmani Grandal with runners at first and second. The Dodgers win, coupled with San Franciscos loss, put the Dodgers back in front of the Giants by a full game in the NL West. Left-hander Paul Maholm, coming out of the bullpen to make a spot start for the injured Josh Beckett, threw 64 pitches through the first six innings -- using just nine in the first, third, fourth and sixth. "Unfortunately for Josh, he had to miss a start and go on the DL, so I had to step in," Maholm said. "Ive made it known to the front office that I want to start, and thats my gig. But I signed up for this. So whenever the call, they call -- whether its one hitter or a couple of innings, I just want to pitch." It was Maholms 250th career start, his eighth this season and first since May 14 against the Marlins, when he was charged wwith 10 runs -- five earned -- over 3 2-3 innings in a 13-3 loss at Dodger Stadium. Ken Boyer Cardinals Jersey. The Padres only hits off him were singles in the fourth and seventh by Chase Headley, whose solo homer in Thursdays series opener ended Clayton Kershaws string of 41 consecutive scoreless innings. Maholm, who came in 1-6 with a 4.27 ERA in his eight previous career starts against San Diego, was lifted by manager Don Mattingly after Headleys leadoff hit. Brandon League finished the seventh after retiring Carlos Quentin on a double-play grounder to third with his second pitch. Ian Kennedy held the Dodgers to three hits over eight innings and struck out eight, after back-to-back victories over Cincinnati and Colorado. This was the third straight start in which he pitched at least six innings while allowing fewer than two earned runs, and the ninth overall under those circumstances. St. Louis Adam Wainwright leads the NL with 12 such outings. "Thats a really good lineup, but youve just got to navigate through it and execute pitches," Kennedy said. "Later on in the game, my curveball was better, sharper. It wasnt very good in the bullpen and I was bouncing it. But my fastball location was keeping me ahead of guys." Dodgers All-Star right fielder Yasiel Puig was ejected by umpire David Rackley after he took a called third strike to end the third inning. His only other ejection in the majors was on June 11, 2013 -- his ninth big league game -- after a bench-clearing incident that also involved Kennedy. NOTES: By virtue of Puigs ejection, Ethier and Kemp found themselves at the same positions they had for most of their careers before Puig came along. Ethier moved from centre to right, Kemp from left to centre, and Carl Crawford went in to play left. ... The Padres are taking advantage of the four-day All-Star break by optioning RHP Jesse Hahn (5-2, 2.21 ERA) to Triple-A El Paso after he pitched six innings of three-hit ball Friday night in his seventh big league start and beat the Dodgers 6-3. Manager Bud Black said the club will continue to keep a close eye on Hahns innings the rest of the season. ... INF Jace Peterson was recalled by the Padres to fill in for injured 1B Tommy Medica, who was removed from Thursdays game because of tightness in his groin and remains on the active roster. ... Kershaw shaved off his scraggly beard for Sunday nights trip to Minnesota and his fourth career All-Star game. ' ' '