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. Drew Bledsoe Youth Jersey . - A mixed martial arts fighter who changed his name to War Machine was ordered Friday to stand trial in Nevada state court on 34 felony charges including attempted murder, sexual assault and kidnapping that could get him life in prison for allegedly attacking his porn star ex-girlfriend and her friend. Sony Michel Youth Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. https://www.patriotssportsgoods.com/Wome...ted-Jersey/.The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. John Hannah Patriots Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (4) – He had a strong game Sunday; was very good in tight with big saves on Crosby, Malkin and Neal in-crease. Stephon Gilmore Youth Jersey . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.MAMMOTH LAKE, Calif. -- Shaun White skipped the Friday morning Olympic snowboarding qualifier to get some needed rest, a calculated risk considering the two-time Olympic gold medallist still wasnt assured of a spot in Sochi for his signature event. Two thrilling trips down Mammoth Mountain later in the afternoon all but solved that problem. Oh, and they sent a message too. The sports greatest ever is still on top of his game. In fact, hes building on it. Soaring through the California air looking very much like someone intent on making history, White dominated the afternoon session, posting a score of 98.6 to move closer to one of the four spots on the U.S. Olympic halfpipe team. Even better, he did it while landing the latest wrinkle in his ever-expanding repertoire. White nailed a frontside double-cork 1440 in competition for the first time during his second run, a trick he spent the run-up to Sochi obsessing over. The payoff came in the middle of his run as he packed four full twists and two flips inside in one physics-defying leap. Not bad considering a needed win was already assured. White posted a 97 during his first run, which included his usual double McTwist 1260. The new skill adds half a rotation, which he says changes it completely. Maybe, but the results havent changed a bit. White pumped his fists when his score was posted in a mixture of relief and joy. "I was treating it like an Olympic event, which it is," White said. "I wanted to up my score. I wanted to do something under pressure ... Im happy I landed it." It also avoided any second-guessing after White decided to skip the morning event after a busy Thursday in which he wiped out during a slopestyle qualifying event to return to the top of the hill hours later and win, securing a berth on the U.S. Olympic slopestyle team in the process. "I just figured if I could pull it out yesterday I should be able to do it today and that inspired me to get up and make it happen," White said. "Taking the morning off was the best call I think Ive made." LLooked like it.ddddddddddddScotty Lago, who won bronze behind White in Vancouver in 2010, thrust himself back into the mix for Sochi by finishing second. Taylor Gold wrapped up his seat in Sochi by finishing third. The U.S. is so stacked in the halfpipe making the Olympic team could be even more difficult than reaching the podium in Russia. Yet White left little doubt the chasm hes created between himself and the rest of the world hasnt moved much in the last four years. "I was really on the edge of my physical abilities," White said. "I was so fatigued from slopestyle. But I did a run that Ive never ever in my career done, so Im happy. Ive got to push through all the way to Sochi. Ive just got to keep going." The field behind Gold, White and Greg Bretz is a jumbled mess, with a half-dozen jockeying for the one spot that remains up for grabs. Its a field that now includes enigmatic Danny Davis after Davis pulled out a stunning win during the morning session. The 25-year-old was considered the snowboarder with the best shot at challenging White in Vancouver. Davis even beat White in a qualifying event barely a month before the games only to have his pelvis crushed in an all-terrain vehicle accident. Hes spent most of the last quadrennial trying to stay healthy. During a dynamic run, he looked more than healthy. He looked competitive. His 95.20 was enough to edge Gold by 1.2 points and give Davis hope of joining White in Sochi. "Ive had a rough four years of getting hurt and this year was about getting good at snowboarding again," Davis said. "If I make the Olympic team, its cool because its another accomplishment in my life Ive yet to make." Kelly Clark, who took gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, remained perfect by sweeping both womens events on Friday. The two-time Olympic medallist is guaranteed a spot on the team. The other three spots are a toss-up, though 2006 Olympic champion and 2010 silver medallist Hannah Teter bolstered her bid by finishing third and now has two straight top-four finishes. ' ' '