the AL East lead. David Phelps tries to pitch the Yankees back to respectability when he toes

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss football enrolment, the reimagining of Mike Tyson, Denis the "Tweeting Mayor" Coderre and Sochi security. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to what appears to be happening in football at its roots. ESPN reported this week that Pop Warner Football, Americas biggest youth football program, experienced a 9.5 per cent drop in enrolment between 2010 and 2012, largely over what appears to be a fear of children experiencing concussions. Another survey said participation in tackle football has fallen 13 per cent since 2011. We still have a lot to learn about concussions; not every kid will be irreparably damaged by football, and not every kid will get away clean. But given everything we are learning about the dangers of the game - and since six American high school players have died playing football in 2013 alone - talking about whether you want your kids to take the chance seems like something close to the least a person can do. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the daily attempt and the publics buy-in to the rehabilitation of Mike Tysons image. You cant turn on your television set these days without being exposed to a Tyson movie, a documentary, an upcoming book, something. You can even turn on a comedy movie like "The Hangover" and see him in a cameo role. And laugh we all do, uncomfortably. Thats not the Mike Tyson I covered for more than a decade. That guy went to prison for rape in 1992, went to prison again in 1999, was accused of assaulting his first wife, was arrested 38 times before he was 13, arrested again in 2006, 2008, 2009 for drugs and assault and more. You can buy in on the new Mike Tyson. Sorry, Ive seen too much. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who tweets em as he sees em. Coderre tweeted he wanted to send scuffling Canadiens centre David Desharnais to Hamilton, which, in Montreal, amounted to taking a strong populist stand. I was awaiting Desharnais tweet that Coderre should be shipped to Chicoutimi. Ive had a fondness for sports mayors ever since Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell told me before a World Series game at SkyDome that he would relish a chance to hit against Todd Stottlemyre. Anyway, after Desharnais shootout winner in Columbus Friday, Coderre tweeted, "Bravo, David." I look forward to Coderres Twitter account tackling my citys other pressing issues, such as P.K. Subbans penalty killing minutes. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is down to any sporting event whose location, sheer size or stated importance makes necessary the kind of security measures that will exist at huge cost at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. To understand, there were patrols by combat jets, surface-to-air missiles on rooftops and an aircraft carrier on the river Thames at the London Olympics, and Sochi is promising police and soldiers in double the numbers mobilized in 2012. Spectators must carry and show at all times Olympic passports that will not respect their privacy - theyll be watched by more than 5,000 closed-circuit cameras and a fleet of drones - it is said they could be monitored on their phones and computers and their email could be intercepted. And they dare not protest those things or any other things as they go about their business as sports fans. If the games must begin like that, we can only hope they end with everyone still safe, and still free. Kevon Looney Jersey . -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are tightening the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. Mitch Richmond Jersey . The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000. http://www.cheapwarriorsjerseysstore.com/ .The Hamilton Tiger-Cat defensive back always has the required receipt. But he also walks around with a tangle of metal screws, rods and plates after breaking his neck in 2006 playing high school football in Louisiana. Cheap Warriors Jerseys Authentic . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. Nate Thurmond Jersey . George Hill had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who stayed atop the overall NBA standings despite losing twice on their West Coast trip. Los Angeles kept it close into the second half before the Pacers finished an easy win over the injury-riddled Lakers, who have lost five straight.As one AL East rival exits the Bronx, another enters a new series at Yankee Stadium. This time the Tampa Bay Rays take a turn against the New York Yankees Monday in the opener of a three-game set. The Yankees are 6-6 in a stretch of 15 consecutive games against division opponents and lost their third straight series this weekend versus the despised Boston Red Sox. You can watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. Boston needed a ninth-inning home run to beat the Yankees on Saturday, then closed the series with Sunday nights 8-5 victory. Yankees starter Chase Whitley struggled to the tune of five runs and eight hits in four innings for New York, losers in six of the past eight games. Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran each hit solo homers in defeat. "I always believe that when you play against teams that are in your division, those are series that youve got to win," said Beltran, who has been dealing with soreness in his forearm and had three hits. "We missed this one." Teixeira has homered in four of his last eight games and has hit safely in 14 of the previous 17 contests. New York is still just two games off the AL East lead. David Phelps tries to pitch the Yankees back to respectability when he toes the rubber Monday night. Phelps is 2-0 in his last three starts and did not figure into the decision of a 7-6 loss at Toronto last Tuesday, as he permitted six runs and eight hits in five innings. Phelps has allowed 15 runs in his last four starts and is 3-4 with a 4.35 earned run average this season. The right-hander has faced Tampa Bay eight times (4 starts) in his career and is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA. Tampa Bay has been playing better baseball of late, but the club is still last in the division at 10 games off the pace. The Rays opened an 11-game road trip by taking three of four games againsst the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, and won the series with Sundays 12-7 offensive outburst.dddddddddddd Kevin Kiermaier hit a solo home run and Logan Forsythe added a two-run shot during a seven-run seventh inning for the Rays, who have won six of their last nine games. Matt Joyce had a big game by going 5-for-6 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBI. Joyce matched a Rays single-game record with five hits and 12 total bases. His shot in the third inning ended a drought of 124 at-bats without a homer. "You really dont have too many days like that," Joyce said. "Its nice to have one of those days and enjoy it." Ben Zobrist also went deep and recorded three hits, two RBI and two runs scored in the win. Rays starting pitcher Alex Cobb picked up the win and was reached for four runs (3 earned) in five innings. The Rays have won five of their last seven road games and will also visit Detroit for four games on this road trip. They are 16-24 as the guest. Tampa Bay has scored at least five runs in 12 of the last 18 games, going 11-7 in that stretch. Chris Archer hopes to get some more of that run support when he takes the mound in the Bronx. The Rays have scored exactly five runs in each of Archers last two starts, including a 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh last Tuesday. Archer fell to 1-3 in his last four decisions after giving up five runs -- four earned -- in seven innings of work. Archer, who is 4-5 with a 3.29 ERA and has thrown six-plus innings six times in the past seven appearances, will put his unblemished mark against the Yankees on the line Monday. He has won all four of his starts in this series and has a 1.26 ERA across 28 2/3 innings. The Rays have won four of seven meetings with the Yankees this season and took two of three matchups in the Bronx from May 2-4. 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