The sport is all over the media

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ATLANTA -- Gerald Laird drove in two runs with two hits, including a tiebreaking single in the eighth, and the Atlanta Braves beat Colorado 3-2 on Friday night after the Rockies lost third baseman Nolan Arenado to a broken finger. Arenado left the game in the second inning after fracturing his left middle finger on a head-first slide into second base. Michael Cuddyer hit a home run for Colorado. Ramiro Pena, who replaced third baseman Chris Johnson in the third inning, led off the eighth with a double to the centerfield wall off Adam Ottavino (0-1). After Andrelton Simmons and Dan Uggla struck out, Laird lined the single to left field and advanced to second when Corey Dickersons throw bounced past catcher Jordan Pacheco. David Carpenter (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his 13th save. The Rockies did not immediately say if Arenado will be placed on the disabled list. Arenado led off the second with a double to left field. Left fielder Justin Uptons throw was caught by Uggla, who flipped the ball to shortstop Andrelton Simmons at second base. Simmons kept the glove down as Arenado slid past the bag. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez asked for a review as replays indicated Simmons might have tagged Arenados foot off the bag. The play stood following the review of 3 minutes, 48 seconds. Arenado grabbed his hand following the slide but remained in the game to score from third on Pachecos groundout. Charlie Culberson replaced Arenado at third base in the bottom of the inning. The loss of Arenado would be a blow to the Rockies. Arenado is hitting .305 with six homers and 28 RBIs. His 28-game hitting streak from April 9 to May 8 is the longest in the National League this season. The Braves also had a switch at third base. Pena replaced Johnson after Johnsons strikeout to lead off the second. The Braves did not say why Johnson left the game. Uggla walked and scored on Lairds double in the second. The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the third. B.J. Upton scored from third base on Justin Uptons groundout. Cuddyers homer, his fourth, tied the game in the sixth. Gavin Floyd allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings for Atlanta. Jordan Lyles gave up two runs on six hits and one walk in six innings for Colorado. The Braves loaded the bases in the seventh but couldnt score. Rex Brothers gave up one-out singles to pinch-hitter Tyler Pastornicky and Jason Heyward before walking B.J. Upton. Brothers struck out Freddie Freeman. Cuddyer made a running catch in right field of Justin Uptons fly ball off Ottavino to end the inning. First base umpire Lance Barksdale called Pacheco out on a pickoff throw to first by Floyd in the seventh. The call was overturned following a review which lasted 1:30. NOTES: Javy Lopez, a catcher for Atlanta from 1992-2003, Dave Pursley, a longtime trainer with Milwaukee and Atlanta from 1962-2001, and Rabbit Maranville, a shortstop with the Boston Braves for 15 seasons, were inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame. .... Rockies manager Walt Weiss said OF Carlos Gonzalez (swollen left index finger), who didnt start for the second straight day, was available. Gonzalez aggravated the inflammation in the finger on Wednesday night. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor will face Rockies RHP Juan Nicasio on Saturday. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The flanker began his comeback from a right shoulder injury by coming off the bench on Saturday when Wales opened with a victory over Italy. Warburton replaces Justin Tipuric, one of three changes announced on Tuesday by coach Warren Gatland. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Alvarez hit his first career home run, pitched six innings and hurt his right hamstring while running the bases in the Miami Marlins 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку!. The Mavericks were not going to let San Antonio beat them with 3-pointers, and they did not want Tony Parker using the lane as his personal playground. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . One out away from finishing off an impressive shutout, they let a must-win game slip away.You may or may not be aware that I am a massive baseball fan. I love it. You, however, may not be and you are probably expecting a column on soccer in this spot of the site. Dont worry, it is coming. Stay with me. The 2014 Major League Baseball season is not yet three weeks old and it is in a bit of a mess. I often use that great sport as a companion in my down time, away from the beautiful game I am blessed enough to cover. During this time I will watch many games, very often not complete ones, around the continent by using my remote control to allow me to jump into numerous different ballparks. I will read plenty and listen to many smart baseball media personalities talk about the game. Except, this season has been very different. Those pages I turn, the sites I visit and the podcasts and stations I listen to have been flooded by debates about replay, challenges and rule changes. When is a runner out at first base? Where does the ball need to land in the glove? When is a lane not being opened for a runner heading from third for a play at the plate? When is the catcher breaking the rules by blocking the plate when in possession of the ball? Why is a Yankee being called safe, even after a replay call, when the world can see on their own monitors live that he was tagged by a Red Sox player while his foot was off the bag? Why, while dealing with replay issues, is the sport taking a moronic approach to another fight about the transfer of the ball to the glove after a catch? Blah blah blah. My ears hurt. Back to soccer. For a minute. One of the true charms of the sport, for me, has always been the amount of discussions that surround what actually happens to the players between the white lines. Yes, the sport has a gambling and a fantasy component but most discussions about the sport are about the sport. In fact now, more than ever, thanks to the fine work being done by tactical writers like Michael Cox and analytical, statistical authors like Simon Gleave and many others, more than ever we are surrounded by insightful analysis around incidents and conclusions that have been determined on the pitch. Pundits like Gary Neville on Sky Sports has also taken his industry to a different level and I like to think the fine team here at TSN that I am a part of helps to deliver a similar message. Entertain and inform the audience about what is happening on the field. Compare this to the NFL, which in the United States is as enormous as the Premier League is in England. Except, the analysis around it is much different. The majority of their fans desire discussions on betting lines and fantasy previews. While this is being delivered to them, what actually is happening is the audience is getting less educated about what kind of players play the game. They see their wide receiver, for example, on their fantasy team and look for his stats but they dont know what kind of routes he runs to confuse defensive backs. Theyll hope their fantasy quarterback will deliver the goods on Sunday but if he doesnt most arent told why not and by Tuesday they dont care as the planning goes into the following fanttasy week matchup.dddddddddddd Over the last decade, Formula One racing has mastered a way to feed hungry fans with a lot of stories away from their races, because, quite frankly, many on-track narratives in the last few years havent been interesting enough. Baseball, for me, was always different. I love hearing why players are struggling or improving and so many other nuances on the diamond that make it so great. Except now the sport is searching for perfection in an imperfect world. One respected writer said this week the replay system is not a mess, sure its got problems but they are still now getting more calls correct than they used to. Yes, but at what cost? The sport is all over the media and for the wrong reasons. Or, perhaps, the right reasons and not just the reason I want. Despite record revenues and attendances, baseball does worry about his lack of coverage compared to other big sports like football and basketball. Maybe this is a way of combating that. Maybe. Soccer certainly does not need such attention. As the world evolves in front of our very eyes, attention spans are getting smaller and smaller yet more people than ever are watching the game globally. And in a World Cup year that number will grow again. Eyes in every nation across the world will focus on what is happening between the white lines. For a sport that plays shorter games than most and nowhere near as often as most, that is a significant achievement for both those who cover it and those who watch it. Combined in 2014 they have managed to accomplish what the purpose of sport is in the first place. Anything with large sums of money involved will always have complications and politics, but throughout that it is important for us all to never be distracted from the magnificent accomplishments athletes reach on a daily basis. They are the reasons people flock to watch professional sports and they are deserving of the coverage. They bring great joy and pleasure to lives that can be full of difficulties. When the public actually gets time to read, watch or listen to their sport they deserve to be told more about the people who attracted them to the sport in the first place. And this brings me back to my original point. Technology does not have every answer to questions thrown up by the game. Goal-line technology is now here to stay and does not disrupt the game or dominate news cycles for weeks on end but that is where is must stop. There are many ways for the sport to progress and help referees but further technology is not one of them. Yes, mistakes will continue and during the World Cup this summer one will likely happen where more people will call for technology to change the game. Except, it doesnt just change the game, it changes the focus. Sure, if you have time this summer read up all on the politics of Brazil 2014, the bidding process around the next two World Cups, the issues with stadiums and potential crime but if you are a true fan of the sport nothing should be more exciting for you than Brazil vs Croatia on the opening day. Eight weeks today it kicks off. I can hardly wait. ' ' '