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Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Steve Nash, the Spirits handling of Terry Traffords passing, Ralph Krueger and NHL shootouts. Bruce Arthur, the National Post: My thumb is up to Steve Nash, who was shut down this week with nerve pain, which has been limiting him since a harmless-looking collision early last year. Hes only played 10 games for the Lakers this season and he looked like himself once. If this isnt the end of his 18-year career, then were getting close. So why thumbs up? Because of how hes facing it. Nash is making short films for ESPNs Grantland that are incredibly honest - jarringly so, at times - about what its like to face your athletic mortality and was incredibly honest again when I spoke to him this week. Nash and I are the same age; we both came from B.C.; we both played basketball and thats where the comparison ends. And again, hes showing me what it would be like. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the eerie silence that has engulfed the Saginaw Spirit in the tragic wake of the passing of 20-year-old Terry Trafford.There are questions here – but, to date, no answers coming from the prominent junior hockey people, coach Greg Gilbert or general manager Jim Paliafito. We know, from Traffords father, that the Spirit sent Terry home for what Roy Trafford calls “disciplinary reasons.” And we know, from the same conversation, that the time away from the team was supposed to be temporary, a few days. Then something changed. What changed? We dont know. Telephone messages were left informing Trafford that he was no longer welcome to return to the team. What we dont know and may never know - is why. To date, the only people who have those answers arent sharing them. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: Forget the Dos Equis guy. My thumb is up to the truly most interesting man in the world, Ralph Krueger. Less than a month after being the big-ice guru for the Canadian mens Olympic hockey team, Krueger has switched continents and sports. He is now chairman of Southampton FC, having jumped to the rarified world of English Premier League soccer without prior experience in the game. Krueger can match resumes with anyone. The Manitoban played pro hockey in Germany, built the Swiss national program, coached the Edmonton Oilers before his premature firing and boosted Team Canada. He also is an active member of the World Economic Forum. Now, soccer. Bartender, Ill drink what Kruegers drinking. Dave Hodge, TSN: Thumbs down to the NHL and its inability to deal with its dislike of the shootout. At the GMs meetings in Florida, the NHL continued to look for ways to decrease the number of shootouts. One way would be to change overtime from four-on-four to three-on-three, but if youre making a list of ideas that are less popular than the shootout, start there. The NHL will consider a change of ends for overtime to put skaters farther from their benches, as they are in the second period, which, statistically, is the highest-scoring of the three periods. Okay. Keep trying. The easy solution would be for the NHL to give up and decide it likes the shootout. Oh, but as with visits from grandpa, it does - there just shouldnt be too many of them. Shoes Ireland On Sale . The game had many controversial incidents that, upon closer inspection, were not as controversial as many believed. The Formations Toronto FC lined up in its usual 4-4-2 formation, with Nick Hagglund slotting in at right fullback and Bradley Orr at centreback in place of the injured Mark Bloom and Steven Caldwell, respectively. Discount Shoes Ireland . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. https://www.shoesirelandsale.com/ . The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lose three straight finals in Monte Carlo to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08, has not played in the tournament since 2011, when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. Shoes Ireland Free Shipping . Giants manager Bruce Bochy told The Associated Press of the decision before NL West-leading San Francisco opened a 10-game homestand Monday night with the first of three games against second-place Arizona. Buy Shoes Ireland .J. -- Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch deservedly draw the attention for what theyve done in getting the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl.Worn down. Aching back. Sore hips. Mental fatigue. Sounds more like the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs than the FedEx Cup playoffs. But to hear the golfers talk, the ridiculous schedule that has been thrust upon those lucky enough to make it all the way to the last PGA Tour event of the year means this will be a hobble to the $8 million purse and the $10 million bonus. While there wont be much sympathy for guys in slacks vying for millions and millions of dollars, the game is clearly suffering at whats supposed to be its big finale. "I did take a month off before coming into the stretch," said Jim Furyk, who is among the remaining golfers in the field this week in Atlanta. "So Im now playing my eighth event in the last nine weeks. Im definitely a little tired. Im a little worn down." Phil Mickelson pulled out of the BMW Championship because hed had enough and was hoping to send a message to the calendar planners. And the No. 1 player in the world made a detour on the way home from the BMW in Denver to enjoy the simple things. "Its amazing what a night in your own bed can do," admitted Rory McIlroy. "I mean, just one night. Its funny, I was standing in the shower on Monday morning in Denver and I was thinking to myself: Why am I going to Atlanta today? So I didnt. I changed and Im going to go to Florida. Im going to go home for a day and a half." The driving range and putting green last week were ghost towns as golfers preserved their energy. Thats not much fun for spectators. How beat up are some of these guys? Consider that Dr. Craig Davies, Canadian chiropractor and trainer to many of the top players on tour has been travelling with a portable hyperbaric chamber, a device that can speed up healing thrrough pressurized oxygen.dddddddddddd This years schedule compacted the FedEx Cup playoffs into a four-week squeeze, something no one seems to want and is unlikely to happen again. Certainly that was the word from on high from the commissioner. "Four in a row doesnt really work," Tim Finchem said last week. "So we understand that. We didnt like it this year. Were not going to do it going forward." But the problem is deeper than just the final four weeks. There is a stretch from the Open Championship through this week where there are two majors, a World Golf Championship event and then four playoff stops. Somewhere in there are also the RBC Canadian Open and the Wyndham Championship. Those tournaments have found it necessary to sponsor golfers, including Furyk, to get them to tee it up on the field. Pity poor Brandt Snedeker who has sponsorships with both companies meaning a nine-week stretch was possible, although he only made if as far as the second week of the playoffs. Not only does this schedule hurt the quality of play in these events, but it means that golfers dont play as much before it, saving up their energy for the big run. Theres no easy solution other than cutting back on the total events, which isnt going to happen. Perhaps the playoffs could be three events instead of four, but thats unlikely, especially with millions on the table. You could create an off-season, longer that is, than the three weeks between the Tour Championship and the Frys.Com Open, the first stop on the 2014-15 calendar. For now, its going to be the last man standing come Sunday afternoon. After that, dont expect to see too many of these guys for a while. Oh wait. . . 12 of them are playing in the Ryder Cup. At least theyll get one week off. ' ' '