Der Fremde » Steve Tolleson is dealing with an eye problem

LONDON - Novak Djokovic capped off a phenomenal autumn by defending his ATP World Tour Finals title with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 win over Rafael Nadal in a duel between the two dominant players of the season on Monday night. Theres no doubt Djokovic is the man to beat on indoor hard courts. And just for the record, his 22 consecutive wins to finish 2013 matched top-ranked Nadals best stretch of the year. Djokovics winning run started after a U.S. Open final defeat to Nadal, and during a span when the Spaniad replaced him atop the rankings. "The most positive thing that I can take from those 2 1/2 is the fact that I managed to regroup after a few big losses against Nadal, especially in Roland Garros, U.S. Open final and Wimbledon final," said Djokovic, who became the seventh player to win the elite season-ending tournament at least three times. His victory in London denied Nadal the only big trophy missing from his glittering CV. Having produced one of the most memorable comebacks in tennis, Nadal lost in a deciding match for the second time at the tour finals and missed the chance to join Andre Agassi as the only players to have won all four Grand Slams, Olympic gold, the Davis Cup and the year-end tournament. "Its not going to change my career, winning or losing today," Nadal said. "I am not very disappointed. I know that I was not the favourite for the match, even if I tried with the right attitude, in my opinion, fighting for every moment, trying to be positive in every moment, even if the match was not going the way that I would like." Mondays defeat was a strong warning to Nadal, who overhauled Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking last month, that his Serbian rival will be ready to extend his form into next years Australian Open, where he is the three-time defending champion. Djokovic has now beaten Nadal 10 times in 19 finals and is unbeaten since losing at the U.S. Open in September. "After the US Open final, of course, I needed to take things slowly and see and analyze what I did wrong, especially in the matches against him, to understand what I need to do in order to win against him," Djokovic said. "I think the results are showing that we had a great improvement in the last 2 1/2 months." Djokovic returned superbly from the start to move his Spanish rival around the court and prevent him from dictating the points. Nadal, playing on his less favourite surface, hit only nine winners and was broken three times. "If I can say about one thing that makes the difference in todays match was the serve — I didnt serve well, he served well," Nadal said. "So in this kind of court, first shot is very important, and he did that first shot much better than me." Nadal return to the No. 1 ranking came on the back of a stunning comeback from a career-threatening knee injury. Since returning in February, the Spaniard has won 75 matches —losing only 7 —to win 10 titles including the French Open, the U.S. Open and five Masters 1000 events. But Djokovic proved again that he still has the upper hand on hard courts by extending his head-to-head winning record to 13-7 on that surface against Nadal. "Year-end No. 1 is deservedly in Nadals hands because he had two Grand Slam wins, the best season out of all players, the most titles," Djokovic said. "I think thats no doubt, cannot question that. I tried to put aside the calculations and the rankings after U.S. Open and just tried to focus on one tournament at a time, one day at a time. That kind of attitude has helped me to get to where I am at this moment." Djokovic made an impressive start, hitting powerful groundstrokes to keep Nadal well behind his baseline while limiting his own mistakes. Returning well, the Serb made the most of two of Nadals backhand errors to break in the second game. He had another chance in the fourth game after Nadal double-faulted, but was unable to convert. Nadal got into the match from that point. He put Djokovic under pressure with his huge forehands in the next game and two unforced errors from the Serb allowed him to break back and then level at 3-3. But Nadal faltered in his next service game as he served a double-fault at 30-30. After a stunning exchange, Djokovic broke for 5-3 following a series of volleys at the net. Standing in the middle of the court, the Serb opened his arms and screamed as the crowd erupted in cheers. Djokovic sealed the first set with an ace. Appearing supremely confident, Djokovic raised his game further in the second set, pinpointing his shots on the lines to make life more difficult for Nadal after breaking in the third game of the second set. The resilient Spaniard saved two match points and kept encouraging himself until the end, but a final forehand too long gave Djokovic the title. Djokovic will now focus on the Davis Cup final later this week in Belgrade, where he will lead Serbia against defending champion Czech Republic. Rays Jerseys 2019 . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. Brent Honeywell Jersey . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/.com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. Daniel Robertson Jersey .Y. -- Defenceman Ryan Murphy had a goal and an assist and Drew MacIntyre made 24 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-2 in an exhibition game Wednesday night. Brendan McKay Rays Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks.TORONTO – Three-and-a-half hours before Wednesdays series finale with the Yankees, the Blue Jays issued a surprising media release announcing the demotion of Kevin Pillar to Triple-A Buffalo. This is far from an earth-shattering move, Pillar was the 25th-man, but the shock lies in his return to the Bisons just 48 hours after his latest recall and in the reasons why hes Buffalo-bound. Pillar and Anthony Gose were supposed to be the right-field platoon while Jose Bautista recovers from a mild strain of his left hamstring. The contract of outfielder Brad Glenn, a 23rd-round pick in 2009, has been purchased. “Were looking for a little more sock from the right side,” said manager John Gibbons. “Weve got three left-handed pitchers coming in from the White Sox and Glenn, hes been on fire down there, as well. So this is his opportunity.” When pressed for more, Gibbons acknowledged Pillars behaviour in the eighth inning of Tuesday nights game played a part in the decision. The score was 6-6 at the time. The Jays had loaded the bases with one out. Pillar was due up but the Yankees flame-throwing set-up man, Dellin Betances, was on the mound. Gibbons pinch hit Anthony Gose. Pillar reacted. He stormed into the dugout. Footage shows him angrily tossing his helmet and ripping off his batting gloves as he walked from Gibbonss end of the dugout to the other. He then tossed his bat, underhanded, down the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. “It didnt help him at all,” said Gibbons. “This is a team game, you know. Theres no room for selfish play. But weve been thinking about Glenn for a while now, anyway.” Glenn has given the Blue Jays plenty to ponder. In 113 at-bats with Buffalo since his promotion from Double-A New Hampshire, the 27-year-old has hit .381/.421/.575 with four home runs and eight doubles among his 43 hits. To make room for Glenn on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated infielder Jonathan Diaz for assignment. THE OUTSIDE CORNER Play a baseball game and inevitably someone will have something to say about the home plate umpires strike zone. Pitchers and hitters develop reputations, to the positive or negative, which can influence the way the game is called. What goes less noticed is how one pitch called incorrectly can affect the remainder of an at-bat. Take Colby Rasmuss three-pitch, caught-looking strikeout in the second inning of Tuesday nights 7-6 win over the Yankees. The first pitch was a David Phelps cut fastball off the outside corner of the plate for a called strike. This is the pitch that changed the at-bat. Pitch two: A knuckle-curve Rasmus fouled off. Pitch three: A cut fastball on the inside corner. The pitch crossed the plate, therefore it was a strike. The correct call was made. The problem: Rasmus was forced to adjust his approach after the first pitch to account for the wide strike zone. “Colbys told me he starts gettting bigger to protect and then he starts chasing balls all over the place,” said hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.dddddddddddd “I said, ‘Do not change your zone and if they call it, they call it, but you cant change your zone. Do not expand. If they throw three out there and get called, come back and sit down by me.” When pressed for comment, Rasmus politely declined. Good move on his part - he doesnt need the trouble. Adam Lind has also fallen victim to calls off the outside corner. Its common around the game, certainly not exclusive to the Blue Jays. “They both have really good eyes and they look for pitches on the plate and thats what theyre geared to do mentally and I dont want that to change with any of our hitters,” said Seitzer. “Its just a part of the way games always been. (Umpires) are human. Theyre not perfect. Theyre going to make mistakes. You cant expect them to be perfect but I dont want our hitters to change their zone ever in any way, shape or form.” Both Rasmus and Lind have laid-back personalities. Its rare to see either be demonstrative with an umpire. Seitzer appreciates their respectful approach, but he wants them to converse. If a pitch was off the plate, hes encouraged Rasmus and Lind to let the umpire know. Seitzer will accept from his hitters called third strikes on pitches out of the zone. He firmly believes Rasmus, whos prone to the swing-and-miss, having struck out in 33.5 per cent of his plate appearances this season, ends up offering at pitches he otherwise wouldnt due to frustration. Seitzers been a sounding board for his frustrated charges. “All I can do is be supportive,” said Seitzer. “Youve got a great eye. Its not a pitch you want to go on, so you cant go. And you cant even think that theyre going to go back out there because of what happens there, you get locked up on paint inside.” LINDS FOOT Adam Lind fouled a pitch off his right toe in the seventh inning of Tuesday nights game. “Ouch. Thats what I said,” said Lind. Surely he must have cussed? “It was more just deep breaths.” Lind returned to the starting lineup on Monday for the first time since fouling a pitch off the top of his right foot on June 14 in Baltimore. He had three pinch-hit appearances in the seven games in between. Linds wearing a guard on his shin, which extends to the top of his foot. In Wednesday nights series finale versus the Yankees, Lind made his first start at first base since suffering the injury. TOLLESONS EYE Blue Jays utility infielder Steve Tolleson is dealing with an eye problem that cropped up on the last road trip. Hes got dryness and blurriness, especially in his right eye.Tolleson had laser eye surgery five years ago, but its unclear if this is a factor in any way.Hell be seeing a cornea specialist on Thursday, marking a fourth-straight day that hell see an eye doctor of some description. ' ' '