e since 1999. Nowitzki just completed a four-year deal worth $80 mi

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the National Football League, the great Ichiro Suzuki and a fans complaint about the Rogers Centre. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is down to ESPN for pulling out of a partnership with PBS on a deeply researched documentary on the NFLs questionable handling of concussions after - wait, this cant be right - a lunch meeting in midtown Manhattan with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Both sides denied NFL pressure was the cause, which means they must believe the public has collectively suffered serious head trauma. The league is looking more and more like a cigarette company every day, facing litigation from a third of its living former players, and everybody knows it. But ESPN - which airs Monday Night Football - has so many great journalists, on this issue and others, and it did them a deep disservice in succumbing to business interests over journalism. The only positive? At least they decided where they stand. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the National Football League for its rather weak suspension of Houston defensive end Antonio Smith. Smith has been suspended for two pre-season games and one regular season game for one of the most dangerous acts on a football field Ive ever seen. Smith somehow manipulated the helmet off Miamis often dirty Richie Incognito and violently swung the helmet in the direction of Incognitos head. Had it connected we might be talking about something other than suspension today. And at a time when the NFL is doing almost everything to protect its players, especially the head, this time it didnt do enough. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Ichiro Suzuki, who passed the 4,000 hit mark this week against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Of course 1,278 of those hits came in the Japanese league to which I say … so? The Japanese League isnt exactly single A. And suppose Ichiro simply had materialized in Seattle at age 27 and began a career that produced a rookie of the year, an MVP, 10 Gold Gloves, more than 2,700 hits, 10 straight 200-plus hit season and a record 262 hits. Hall of Famer? Yeah. Anyway, that little museum in Cooperstown is the national baseball hall of fame, not the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Dave Hodge, TSN: On a list of complaints by fans of the Blue Jays, this wouldnt rank near the top, but Im with the fan who said "thumbs down" to this bit of nonsense encountered at the Rogers Centre beer concession. Fan wanted to buy one beer and he wanted to share it with his wife, so he asked for an empty cup to go with the overpriced can of beer. Sorry, thats not allowed. You can have beer in a can, minus a cup, or you can have beer in a cup, minus the can. But you cant walk away with half a can and half a cup of beer. Not even that way can the Jays and their fans enjoy a .500 season. Fake Jerseys From China . Raymond, 31, started 15 regular-season games for the Stamps in 2013, racking up 51 tackles. He also returned two kickoffs for 79 yards including a 61-yarder. Stitched Jerseys . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. https://www.fakejerseyswholesale.com/ . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Black Friday Jerseys . "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes. Fake Jerseys Online . A steady downpour and low temperatures were predicted for much of the night. No makeup date was immediately announced, although it was determined that the game will not be part of a doubleheader on Wednesday. Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed on what could be the final contract for the big German. A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday that Nowitzki would get a three-year contract worth roughly $30 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. New contracts cant be signed until next Thursday. The 36-year-old Nowitzki is taking a big pay cut with a contract similar in value and structure to the one Tim Duncan signed with San Antonio two years ago. Duncan, who also took a much lower salary, is exercising a player option to return for the final season of his deal after helping the Spurs win their fifth title since 1999. Nowitzki just completed a four-year deal worth $80 million, and he left money on the table in that deal hoping the Mavericks could get some pieces around him. The pursuit of other staars is even more urgent with Nowitzki getting close to the end of what figures to be a Hall-of-Fame career.dddddddddddd. The 2011 NBA Finals MVP put off finalizing the deal until after the Mavericks met with free agent Carmelo Anthony, which happened Wednesday night. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently acknowledged that he couldnt offer Anthony a max contract, so Dallas figures to be stressing the 2011 title led by coach Rick Carlisle, Nowitzki and centre Tyson Chandler, who recently rejoined the team in a trade with the New York Knicks. If the Mavericks miss out on Anthony, there are a number of other small forwards on their wish list, topped by Houstons Chandler Parsons. He is a restricted free agent, and the Rockets can match any offer. Dallas also wants to re-sign point guard Devin Harris, and will target several others at that position if Harris goes elsewhere. ' ' '