miaowang123: fatigue" and that veteran players need

miaowang123

CLEVELAND -- As if the Cavaliers and Browns dont have enough trouble winning games. www.cincinnatifootballshop.com/74-Jersey  . Now their most prominent stars are going at it. Cavs All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon spent the past few days in a media spat, exchanging barbs across TV, Twitter and newspaper. Gordon, who led the NFL with yards receiving last season, fired the first verbal volley last week when he went on ESPNs "First Take" and discussed Irvings problems this season with teammate Dion Waiters. "I talked about it with Dion," Gordon said. "Hes my neighbour in my building so we hang out all the time. Im aware of the rift in the locker room. Thats just alpha males and supreme athletes trying to share the spotlight." Irving didnt waste any time in shooting back, telling the Akron Beacon Journal, "Guys like Josh Gordon need to stay in his sport and mind his own business. Does he still play for the Browns? Ill continue to root for the Browns, but in terms of this stuff here, what goes on in this locker room, he needs to stay out of it." On Sunday, Gordon responded to Irving via social media by tweeting: "Smh. (shake my head). ... i touched a nerve." Following Mondays practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts, Waiters and Irving, standing side-by-side against a wall, attempted to clear up any misunderstanding. They insist they get along well. "Weve been friends before we even made the NBA, before any of this," Waiters said. "I just think yall saying we dont like playing with one another, yeah, we still need to learn certain things. But I think at the end of the day, were genuinely friends. I love him as a friend, teammate, everything. I just want everybody to know that. "I dont hate this guy. Im pretty sure he dont hate me. I know he dont hate me. I hope he dont hate me. Rome wasnt built in one day. Were still young. Were still planning to stay together. Were still working. As long as weve got great communication down its fine." Irving said he has spoken to Gordon about the comments. "I just let him know that the whole situation kind of got blown out of proportion," Irving said. "There was no disrespect on my end to him or anything he does. I have the utmost respect for him." Before Saturdays home game against Charlotte, Irving said he has grown tired of media reports saying he wants to leave Cleveland. "The barrage and little bit of attack that I saw, Ive been getting it all season and I feel I definitely dont deserve it," he said. "Its one of those things where I can deal with it, but at a certain point, its gotten too much. Its been like that the whole entire season." Irving then went out and scored a career-high 44 points in a 96-94 overtime loss that pushed the Cavs to the edge of elimination from the playoff chase. Irving, who recently returned from a biceps injury, said he has been unfairly scrutinized. "Its all nonsense to me," he said. "Thats part of the business. I get it. Its part of the job. To go out and frame my character to something its not. ... Im not an attention seeker. I dont go out trying to put all these rumours out. For people that feel that its a good thing to continue to put my name in the headlines to get reads, thats your job, but at a certain point its got to stop." Irvings stance is the latest turbulence in what has been a bumpy season for the Cavs. The team fired general manager Chris Grant in March, and the Cavs have been wildly inconsistent in a season in which owner Dan Gilbert had predicted would end with the first playoff appearance since 2010 -- before LeBron James left. The Cavs can offer Irving, the MVP in this years All-Star game, a maximum contract extension this summer. Irving has said he enjoys playing in Cleveland but has been noncommittal about whether hell accept the long-term deal. Maybe Gordon knows. www.cincinnatifootballshop.com/17-Jersey  . Although taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles wasnt nearly as uplifting as winning the World Series, it still felt pretty darn good. Felix oubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night. www.cincinnatifootballshop.com/31-Jersey  . Meanwhile, the Jets extended their winning streak to four and remain perfect under Paul Maurice. Its the Jets second four-game winning streak of the season, the other coming in mid-November. WASHINGTON -- The left half of the net was wide open for Troy Brouwer. When he missed badly, putting his shot wide, he was so exasperated that he slumped his shoulders and looked to the rafters as play continued. It was that kind of game for both the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, who seemingly tried to top each other in trying to find the best way to waste a scoring chance. Players whiffed on open one-timers, several shots hit the goal frame, and all 11 power plays had fruitless outcomes. Andrew MacDonald was the only player to find the target, scoring early in the third period Tuesday night as the last-place Islanders broke a five-game losing streak with a 1-0 win. "Were a desperate team," New York coach Jack Capuano said. "I thought our guys really worked hard right from the start. ... Weve been playing hard; we havent been getting results." MacDonalds slap shot from the point went past screened goalie Michal Neuvirth and just under the crossbar with 17:44 to play. Evgeni Nabokov, making his third start since returning from a groin injury, stopped 22 shots for his 57th career shutout. The Islanders scored only one goal for the third straight game -- but at least this time it was enough to win. "There was a lot of special teams. It was kind of a weird one," McDonald said. "You dont really want to play with fire too much against these guys and give them too many power plays, but fortunately we were able to draw a couple while they were on the power play and negate them." Neuvirth made 27 saves for the Capitals, whoo have lost 10 of 13 to tumble toward the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, only seven points ahead of the Islanders. www.cincinnatifootballshop.com/19-Jersey . Washington has been shut out four times this season, all at home. "Its not acceptable, the way we played tonight. Thats for sure," Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom said. Washingtons Eric Fehr hit the right post in the first period, not long before teammate Brouwers frustrating misfire. New Yorks Cal Clutterbuck hit the intersection of the crossbar and right post on a short-handed attempt midway through the second, and teammate Kyle Okposo put one off the right post later in the period. The Islanders were granted a rare short-handed penalty shot in the third period, but Michael Grabners attempt was saved by Neuvirth. Most significantly, the Capitals talented power play went 0 for 6. Alex Ovechkin had three shots on goal for the game, with four other attempts blocked. Washington coach Adam Oates said perhaps his team had "a little fatigue" and that veteran players need to stop taking unnecessary penalties. He also noted it wasnt the greatest performance by the Islanders. "I dont think they executed, either," Oates said. "Both power plays were pretty ineffective." NOTES: Capitals D John Carlson played in his 271st consecutive game, tying Calle Johansson for the longest streak by a defenceman in franchise history. ... Washington D Mike Green missed his third consecutive game with a concussion, and LW Aaron Volpatti sat out with an upper-body injury. ' ' '