Kritik und Anregungen » The 12th-seeded Haas, a champion in

TORONTO -- Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred supports changing the rule that expands active rosters from 25 to 40 each Sept. 1.Managers have expressed concern that the rule changes late in the season, allowing multiple pitching changes for right-lefty matchups. The issue is part of negotiations for a labor contract to replace the deal that expires Dec. 2.Controversy has arisen because of changes that have taken place in the game and the way the game is played, particularly the use of so many relievers, Manfred said Tuesday before the AL wild-card game. I do believe in a reform of those rules, again protecting the benefits that are available to players, Im not looking to take away service time or anything like that, but I do think it would make sense to get to a situation where we played out September games closer to the rules that we play with the rest of the year.I dont think 18 pitchers in a game is a good thing, Manfred added.Manfred hopes a new labor contract is in place before the start of the offseason business cycle. Teams have until the fifth day after the World Series to make qualifying offers to their former players who became free agents, and free agents can negotiate terms with all teams starting the following day.On other topics:ExpansionWhile again saying stadium issues in Oakland and Tampa Bay have to be solved before expansion beyond 30 teams would be considered, Manfred acknowledged in terms of scheduling, 32 teams is a nice number for us, Manfred said.FernandezAsked about the idea of naming an award in honor of late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, Manfred said the shock of the situation has occupied baseball so far.I understand theres some strong feelings on this topic, he said. Its not the right time of year to be thinking about additional awards. But its an issue well talk about during the offseason. Obviously, we recognize the significance of Jose in terms of his importance to the Marlins franchise, and the fact that he was symbolic of the next generation of players.Home RunsManfred said testing has not revealed any difference in the ball that contributed to an increase in home runs.We are absolutely convinced this issue is not driven by a difference in the baseball, he said. My own view is the spike is related to the way the game is being played now, the way we are training hitters from a very young age. We have not been able to find any external cause that explains the spike in home runs.CubaBecause of the World Baseball Classic, no major league team is likely to play at exhibition game in Cuba during spring training.Wild cardManfred supports the one-and-done wild-card playoffs, now in their fifth year.We just had a final day of the season where you had all sorts of meaningful baseball games, and most of those meaningful games were related to the fact that we had a second wild card, he said. In terms of the games themselves, I understand that baseball doesnt usually have one-game knockouts, but I do believe these two games get our playoff season off to a really exciting start. Ive gone to the wild card games, each of them, the last two seasons. The atmospheres in the ballparks are phenomenal, and I think it gives a great jump start to our playoff season. Air Max 97 Pas Cher Noir . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Basket Air Max 270 Pas Cher . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.pascherbasketnike.fr/ . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Basket Nike En Solde . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Yeezy 350 V2 Pas Cher . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.Paris, France (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Novak Djokovic came from behind in order to win his fourth-round match, while seven-time champion Rafael Nadal was an easier winner Monday at the French Open. Last years Roland Garros runner-up Djokovic dropped the first set on Day 9 of the fortnight before charging back to dismiss 16th-seeded German Phillip Kohlschreiber, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, in 2 hours, 42 minutes, while the third- seeded former top-ranked Nadal celebrated his 27th birthday by predictably blowing past 13th-seeded rising Japanese Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3, in just over two hours on the famed red clay on Court Chatrier. Following his win, the crowd serenaded Nadal with a rendition of Happy Birthday and he was presented with a large cake on court. In the Djokovic-Kohlschreiber affair, the German secured the lone break of the first stanza to grab a one-set lead, but the Serbian star, who angrily busted his racquet during that first set, recorded the only breaks en route to claiming the second and third sets and broke Kohlschreiber by a 2-1 margin in the fourth en route to victory. The 26-year-old Djokovic is now third on the mens Open Era list with 16 straight trips into a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Djokovic played for the first time after learning over the weekend that his childhood coach and the person who first recognized his exceptional talent, Jelena Gencic, died in Belgrade on Saturday at the age of 77. The mighty Djokovic reached his first-ever French Open final last year, only to lose to the great Nadal. The reigning Australian Open champ needs Roland Garros to complete a career Grand Slam. Djokovics quarterfinal opponent will be resurgent German Tommy Haas, who looked impressive in a straight-set rout of Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Meanwhile, the 11-time major titlist Nadal, seeking a fourth straight title at this lone clay-court Slam, improved to 56-1 lifetime at Roland Garros on Monday. The Spanish strongman has been brilliant so far in 2013, going 40-2 with six titles in eight events. Nadal broke Nishikori five times, while Nishikori failed to break the clay court stalwart on Day 9. The formidable left-hander Nadal will meet Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on Wednesday, as the ninth-seeded Wawrinka upended seventh-seeded French crowd favorite Richard Gasquet in an epic five-setter, 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6. Nadal topped Wawrinka in an ATP Masterss final in Madrid last month.dddddddddddd When asked how he came back from two-sets-to-love down against Gasquet, Wawrinka said, "I dont know." Wawrinka prevailed in 4 hours, 16 minutes on Court Lenglen against a distraught Gasquet. The aforementioned oft-injured Haas cruised to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Youzhny in just 90 minutes to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time. He has been to at least the round of eight in each of the other three Grand Slams. In addition, the 35-year-old German became the oldest quarterfinalist in a major since Andre Agassi at the 2005 U.S. Open and became the oldest French Open quarterfinalist since a 39-year-old Istvan Gulyas in 1971. He is also the first German in the French quarters since Michael Stich and Bernd Karbacher in 1996. "These are cool stats sometimes to hear," said Haas, who has undergone shoulder, elbow and hip surgeries during his career. "I feel like Im riding a wave that I hope to continue as long as I can. Im going out there and I try to improve my game as much as I can, and to be in this situation is spectacular." The 12th-seeded Haas, a champion in Munich last month, needed 13 match points to finally finish off John Isner in the third round on Saturday, but had little trouble against Youzhny. The Russian beat Haas in the first round of the Italian Masters last month and took the first game on Monday, then proceeded to lose 10 straight on his way to a quick exit. Youzhny was so frustrated on Monday that he demolished his racquet by banging it nine times against his changeover chair. "Bad luck for that racquet," Youzhny said afterward. The quarterfinals will get underway Tuesday, as second-seeded former No. 1 Roger Federer will take on sixth-seeded French favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer will battle 32nd-seeded fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo. Federer is 9-3 lifetime against the former Aussie Open runner-up Tsonga, including a quarterfinal victory at the Aussie Open back in January. Ferrer is 6-2 all-time versus Robredo, as the two compatriots will meet for the first time at a major event. The amazing Federer holds the mens record with 17 Grand Slam singles titles, including last years Wimbledon championship and the 2009 French Open. The Swiss legend is also a four-time French Open runner-up to Nadal. ' ' '