Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the strategy of the CFLPA, the Oilers hiring of Bob Nicholson, the Alouettes firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman and the U.S. Open. Gary Lawless, TSN Radio - My thumb is down to the ill-fated strategy of the CFLPA and the underwhelming results theyve achieved once again. Disorganized and delusional best describe the players union in this latest CFL labour impasse. Their first offer was inflammatory and unattainable. They followed up with a series of retreats and eventual surrender. The CFLPA has followed the lead of legal counsel Ed Molstad since 1974. Lacking best describes the results. The CFLPA needs to represent its constituency with a spirit of inclusion and a face of diversity. The union must look inward and evolve. Questions must be asked and answered and hard decisions executed. The CFLPA finds itself at the intersection of change and rot. Its time to pick a new route. Steve Simmons, Sun Media - My thumb is up to Edmonton Oilers owner Darryl Katz for going outside the family and hiring Bob Nicholson to oversee everything that is Oiler. This isnt necessarily a hockey move as much as it is a business move but in either area Nicholson is clearly equipped for the challenge. And this is a challenge both in the standings and from what Katz wants from the newly formed business called Oilers Entertainment Group. Sports is no longer about only wins and losses. Its so much about veneer. In Edmonton, there will be a new downtown arena, an area to grow around it, a footprint for the future. When Nicholson took over Hockey Canada, it was a small disorganized operation, lacking in business acumen. He left it as a hockey corporation. The Oilers are fortunate to have him. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated - My thumb is down to the Alouettes for the firing of offensive coordinator Rick Worman. Three months after coach Tom Higgins hired Worman, he canned him - before Montreal had played an exhibition game. Higgins was right to act sooner rather than later, unlike 2013 when the era of occupationally-challenged head coach Dan Hawkins lasted five games. But the abrupt dismissal speaks to the dysfunction of the franchise, whose owner, Robert Wetenhall, hired Higgins without involving GM Jim Popp. The Alouettes used to stand for quality on the field and steadfastness off it. If the Worman saga is an indication, soon the only thing the Alouettes will stand for is O Canada. Dave Hodge, TSN - My thumb is up to the U.S. Open golf championship, with emphasis on "open". To win the Masters, you have to be invited. To win the Open, you have to qualify, and everyone is eligible to try, which means anyone from anywhere can win. And that creates interest because "anyone" can be someone like 49-year-old Fran Quinn, who put his name on the leaderboard with a first-round 68. Who is Fran Quinn? He has one year of experience on the PGA Tour. Last year? No, 1992. He played in 18 events that year and he missed the cut 12 times. This year, he has played one event - on the Web.com Tour, golfs development league, if you will. Fran Quinn is still playing at Pinehurst - he followed his 68 with rounds of 74 and 79. He wont win. But he had a chance to win. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 .The team had a meeting prior to facing Russia at the world junior hockey championship and got the effort theyve been looking for by defeating the Russians 4-1 to advance to the quarter-finals. Custom Baseball Jerseys China . As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened their main training camp Sunday, Kuale is one of the newcomers brought in to bolster a sagging defence that ranked overall where the Bombers finished 2013, in the CFL cellar with a league high 585 points against. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/ . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Nike Jerseys .com) - Scott Parel carded a 5-under 65 on Thursday and he grabbed a 1-stroke lead after one round of the season-opening Panama Claro Championship. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys . The 12th-ranked Haas served well throughout the match at the Ibirapuera arena, allowing only one break point to the 152nd-ranked Italian. Both players held serve until the first-set tiebreak, when Haas stepped up his game to easily clinch the set.CHICAGO -- Eddie Lack got plenty of practice in his first NHL shootout. He also got a win. Ryan Kesler scored the deciding goal in an eight-round tiebreaker, leading Lack and the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. Kesler fired a high shot past Antti Raanta to help Vancouver end a two-game losing streak. Mike Santorelli was successful in the first round as the Canucks improved to 2-4 in shootouts. Patrick Sharp had Chicagos only shootout score against Lack in the third round. Lack, a rookie backup, said he got some advice from No. 1 goaltender Roberto Luongo and just tried to react. "When youre in it, you dont really think about it," Lack said. "Its just like the AHL. Youre just focused on what youre going to do next, and anticipate it." The Canucks were playing their second game in two nights and third in four overall. But it also was a good time for Vancouver to turn to Lack after Luongo gave up soft goals at critical times in the previous two games, both losses. Lack entered in the second period of Vancouvers 4-1 loss at Dallas on Thursday after Luongo allowed four goals on 19 shots. Lack made 24 saves against Chicago in his seventh start of the season and game No. 10 for his career. Then he stopped Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the shootout. Marian Hossa hit the post, and Lack poke-checked the puck away from Brandon Saad. "He stopped some world-class players there in Toews and Kane right off the bat, and that set us up for the win," Kesler said. Vancouvers Daniel Sedin tied it at 2 with 9:12 left in the third period. Zack Kassian also scored for the Canucks, who trailed 2-0 after Kane set up Kris Versteegs score in the first, and then scored his team-leading 21st goal in the second. "We came in late last night, and usually the first 10-15 minutes, you try to survive," Sedin said. "We did that, I thought we knew if we kept it close wed have a chance." Kane has six goals and 14 assists duringg an 11-game point streak, helping him climb into second in the NHL scoring race behind Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby.dddddddddddd He also has at least one point in 23 of his last 24 games. Raanta, also a rookie backup, had 22 stops in his sixth straight start since No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 8. The Canucks killed all four Chicago power plays to improve to 30 for their last 31 on the penalty kill. Vancouver, which entered with the NHLs best penalty-killing percentage, ended Chicagos string of power-play goals in 10 straight games. "I thought our power play might have let us down a little bit tonight," Kane said. "We didnt really create any momentum off of it and they probably got momentum off them killing them off, so its something well try to improve on." The Canucks had trouble clearing the puck early in the first and the Blackhawks took advantage. Versteeg opened the scoring at 7:49 on a deflection of Kanes shot from just inside the right point. Leveraging two power plays, the Canucks dominated early in the second and launched the first nine shots of the period. Raanta stopped them all during the flurry, including Sedins deflection from the slot. Kane then capitalized on Chicagos first chance in the period. Lack stopped Johnny Oduyas drive from left wing, but Kane jumped on the rebound. Kassian cut to 2-1 at 8:19 when he snapped off a shot from the right circle. It went between the legs of Chicago defenceman Brent Seabrook and past a screened Raanta. Santorelli had a chance to end the game in overtime but he hit the side of the net, just wide of the right post, after he broke in alone. NOTES: The Blackhawks recalled veteran G Jason LaBarbera from Rockford of the AHL. With Crawford still out, Chicago acquired LaBarbera from Edmonton last week. ... Vancouver was without injured D Alex Edler (knee, eighth game) and D Ryan Stanton (ankle, second game). ... Lack posted a shutout in his previous start, on Dec. 9 versus Carolina. ' ' '