Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss sports off-day, the MLB All-Star game, Canadas field lacrosse team and Huston Streets comments upon being traded. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star My thumb is up to Wednesday of this past week. Now, you probably read and heard a lot of sympathetically depressed moaning about how it was the slowest sports day of the year - no baseball, no hockey, no basketball, no football, and nothing to entertain those in search of sports except... Well, Major League Soccer, the Tour de France, and the ESPYs, featuring Drake. Thats hardly nothing, the semi-vacancy of the ESPYs aside, but you know what? Good. We could use some time with less sports. The days are packed with sports. Christmas day is basically a basketball tournament now. We could use some time to breathe, take a walk, reconnect with family, learn to make a bookshelf. Sports are fun, no question. But how can we miss them when they wont go away? Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun My thumb is down to major league baseball, the Minnesota Twins and broadcasters of the All-Star game for failing to appropriately recognize the passing of Tony Gwynn just one month ago. Its not like Gwynn was just another player. He was a 15-time All-Star, perhaps the most beloved figure in a game with not enough beloved figures, and yet somehow there was no tribute to Gwynn throughout the three hour Derek Jeter infomercial that we endured. And I have nothing but regard for Derek Jeter, who has had a storied career; but there should have been something for Gwynn. For the fans. For baseball. A moment of silence. Some words of tribute. Something. At least Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles had it right. He wrote in marker on his baseball cap the initials TG with the number 19. He had the sense of moment baseball didnt have. Gary Lawless, TSN Radio My thumb is up to Canadas national mens field lacrosse team for winning the world championship last night. Canada defeated the U.S., handing the Americans just their third loss in tournament history dating back to 1967. All three of those U.S. losses have come to Canada and all three in championship games, 1978, 2006 and now 2014. Lacrosse is our national sport but its box lacrosse most Canadians play, not field. In fact, Canada has never lost a box lacrosse game at the worlds. Winning the field championship doesnt qualify as a shock but more of a nice surprise. Congrats to Team Canada, who just so happened to be one of the youngest teams weve ever sent to the worlds, and will be a very serious threat to repeat in 2018. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to the refreshing comments of relief pitcher/closer Huston Street as he departed the bottom-feeding San Diego Padres for the playoff-bound Los Angeles Angels. There would be lots to say about the horrible state of the Padres franchise, but street said this; "I believe in the ownership--they want to win--theyre not satisfied with the status quo. I blame the players for what has happened here." Well, even though theres plenty of blame to go around and it does extend to the front office and to ownership - the Padres field a lineup that is not of big-league quality - Street is quite right, as a player, to let others find fault with others and to say that, of all the reasons teams lose, the biggest reason is always that players perform badly. Justin Evans Jersey .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Kendell Beckwith Jersey .J. - New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara left Monday nights game against the Indianapolis Colts with a torn biceps. http://www.thebuccaneersfansclub.com/Bl ... on-Jersey/. The victory strengthened Liverpools position in the top four after Tottenham lost 1-0 at Norwich in the days late kickoff, cutting the north London club six points adrift of fourth place and the final Champions League slot for next season. Doug Martin Jersey . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip. Brent Grimes Jersey . made a diving catch in left field for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in a regular-season finale Sunday. Zimmermann (14-5) allowed only two baserunners, finishing with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the fifth no-hitter in the majors this year.Des Moines, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Looking to extend a five-game win streak, the 13th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones will clash with the Drake Bulldogs in the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday. Iowa State enters the contest sporting an 8-1 record on the season, which has earned the team the No. 13 spot in the nation. The Cyclones have won five games in a row since a 72-63 loss to Maryland back in late November, which includes an 88-78 victory over Southern in the teams most recent outing. Drake also took on a SWAC team in its most recent contest. The Bulldogs used a 76-66 victory over Jackson State to snap a five-game losing streak, which dated back to November. The Bulldogs only have two wins on the entire year. These two in-state rivals have met well over 100 times on the basketball court. The Cyclones hold the all-time series lead, 107-65, which includes a 1-0 mark on neutral-site floors. Iowa State has faced Drake more than any other non-conference opponent. For a team with just two wins going up against a ranked Iowa State team, Southern performed relatively well in the 10-point loss. Iowa State was better, though, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and making 29-of-33 from the free-throw line in the contest. Bryce Dejean-Jones and Georges Niang each scored 18 points to lead the Cyclones, while Monte Morris contributed 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Naz Long added 13 points in the win, and Dustin Hogue chipped in with 10 and seven rebounds. Niang leads a group of five Iowa State players in double-digit scoring this season, netting 17.dddddddddddd8 ppg on 50.5 percent shooting. Dejean-Jones is close behind Niangs total, averaging 17.3 ppg with a team-best 6.8 rpg. Long (12.8 ppg), Hogue (11.6 ppg) and Morris (11.2 ppg) round out the teams deep list of scoring threats. The Cyclones have been absolutely dominant offensively, netting 84.8 ppg on 50.2 percent shooting as a unit, while the defense limits teams to 70.1 ppg this season. Drake desperately needed a win over Jackson State to get back on track. They did just that on 46.2 percent shooting, adding in a whopping 34- of-41 mark from the free-throw line against the Tigers. Reed Timmer scored 19 points to pace the Bulldogs, hitting a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. Jacob Enevold netted 17 points with eight rebounds, Chris Caird chipped in 14 points and Gary Ricks contributed 11 with seven rebounds and five assists in the winning effort. Ricks started the season on Drakes suspended list, but since returning to the team seven games ago, hes been a consistent contributor. The guard is averaging 11.7 ppg to lead the team on 46 percent shooting, adding in six steals and a 3.4 rpg mark to his resume. Timmer is the only other Bulldog to average a double-digit point total, netting 11.0 ppg with a team-best 29 assists. Drake is netting 61.8 ppg as a team, but has struggled to contain anyone defensively, allowing 70.6 ppg on 47.9 percent shooting. 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