Offtopic » izzlies initially struggled with ballhandling. Memp

Its one of my biggest pet peeves in football and it happens all over the world and it happens often. Moreover, it makes the game a little less beautiful. I call it the "deliberate handball swindle." A player, believing hes been fouled, grabs the ball while falling to the ground, forcing the referee into making a decision in the players favour. As a long suffering observer of CONCACAF, Ill cynically assume that this technique originated in Central America and spread like a disease to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, FIFA has allowed the plague to fester...until recently it seems. More and more, we are seeing officials make the correct decision, by giving a free kick in the other direction, while brandishing the yellow card that is automatically awarded for intentionally handling the ball. Unfortunately for Whitecaps fans, it was a Vancouver player that fell victim to that modern interpretation and, because Mattias Laba was already in the book, it was an indisputable sending off in the Whitecaps 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids on Saturday. Was Laba pulled back by Nick Labrocca in the 77th minute and might a foul have been awarded? Yes. But there were a full two steamboats between Laba tumbling to the ground and the Argentine midfielder grabbing the ball. Enough time for the referee to blow his whistle, which he didnt, and enough time for Laba to consider the circumstances - already on a yellow with his team leading by a goal. Perhaps in his home country, in front of a huge crowd, a referee might have caved to the con and we see that all the time. I sympathize with officials who are constantly being put in a position of having to interpret deceit. So for the good of the game, Im glad Ionnis Stavridis construed the law the way he did and I hope his contemporaries in the game consistently follow suit and react the same way in similar circumstances. There is part of me, though, that also wonders whether in this instance, if the referee knew right away that Laba was already on a yellow for a belligerent foul just 23 minutes earlier ,as there seemed to be hesitation between him showing the secnd yellow and then the red. If referees themselves strive for anonymity and the desire to let players decide games, then, upon reflection, perhaps Mr. Stavridis might have secretly wished he had just awarded a foul to Nick Labrocca and not influenced the game to that degree. But it doesnt change the fundamental issue - grabbing the ball to force a referee into a ruling falls under the same category as diving or, as its now known, “simulation." Its cheating plain and simple and if the Whitecaps truly want to live by their slogan “Our All, Our Honour”, maybe they need to learn from this incident and encourage players to think twice about employing one of the games most notorious swindles. Steven Stamkos Jersey . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders. Nikita Kucherov Jersey . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. http://www.hockeylightning.com/. However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . 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Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood tall with 41 saves between the pipes, but it was defenceman Ryan McDonagh who got the first star of the game as he had a goal and an assist and now has two goals and four assists for six points in two games.MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Mike Conley had 30 points and six assists, Marc Gasol added 17 points and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-87 on Tuesday night.Conley connected on 10 of 13 from the field, and missed only one of his five shots from outside the arc as the Grizzlies won their second straight and claimed at least a tie over the Spurs in the season series.Tayshaun Prince added 12 points for Memphis.Marco Belinelli and Cory Joseph scored 18 points apiece for the Spurs. Patty Mills scored 10 points for San Antonio, but was 3 of 10 from the field and missed all four of his 3-pointers, part of the Spurs going 5 of 22 from outside the arc.Belinelli was 4 of 7 from 3-point range, while the rest of the Spurs missed 14 of 15 from distance.The teams last time out went to triple-overtime in San Antonio on Dec. 17 before Memphis left with a 117-116 victory. This time, Memphis built a 10-point lead in the first quarter, and led by as many as 16 in the game. San Antonio never led by more than a point, and that came early in the game.The Spurs reserves looked like they were prepared to threaten Memphis as consecutive baskets by Kyle Anderson cut the lead to seven points early in the frame. Consecutive baskets by Duncan cut the lead to 80-77 near the midway point of the fourth. Joseph had 10 points in the fourth, but the Memphis advantage never fell under five points in the final 5:30.Memphis benefitted from the Spurs seeming a step slow in the first half, the remnants of a December where San Antonio will play 18 games, including seven back-to-backs.That allowed the Grizzlies to shoot 51 per cent for a 52-38 lead at the break.dddddddddddd.Conley carried the day for Memphis, hitting his first seven shots in the game, including two from outside the arc for 18 first-half points.The Spurs were struggling offensively, committing nine turnovers and shooting 37 per cent. Only 16 points from Belinelli, who was 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, prevented the Memphis lead from growing.The Spurs were able to get the Memphis margin under double digits at several points of the third quarter as the Grizzlies initially struggled with ballhandling. Memphis, which had only six turnovers in the first half, more than doubled that number in the third frame, committing seven miscues.Memphis still maintained its double-digit advantage, holding a 74-63 lead after three.______TIP-INS:Spurs: Guard Parker missed his 11th game with a strained left hamstring. He played three games over that period. Forward Kawhi Leonard also was out with a bruised right hand. .The road team had won the two previous games between the teams this season. ..Duncan finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, leaving him one game short of Karl Malone for sixth place all time with 814 double-doubles.Grizzlies: Forward Zach Randolph missed his fifth straight game with a sore right knee. The Grizzlies improved to 3-5 since the beginning of last season with Randolph out of the lineup .Memphis recorded its sixth sellout of the season. .It was Conleys second game of at least 30 points this season.UP NEXT:Spurs: Host Pelicans on Wednesday.Grizzlies: Visit Lakers on Friday. ' ' '