Pirate Galaxy » notesMewhort and defensive tackle Henry Anderso

ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra -- Chris Froome is finally receiving acclaim from fans alongside the roads of the Tour de France.The British rider with Team Sky has been widely applauded and even lauded for his panache after pulling off a surprise downhill attack to take the yellow jersey.Its quite a turnaround from last year, when Froome was booed, spat upon, and had urine thrown on him.Certainly. The atmosphere out on the road has been fantastic, Froome said on Monday on the races first rest day. The crowds have been great, none of that silly nonsense that we had last year at all so far. I hope it stays that way.When Froome won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, he was not only suspected of doping, but also criticized for riding in an overly calculated manner with little creativity. That changed with Saturdays daring descent and stage win in the Pyrenees.My main focus is obviously the race. But if its entertaining at the same time then great, Froome said. Im not going to change my racing just for entertainment stake. Im going to do whatever I can to try and win the race.Froome holds a 16-second lead over fellow British rider Adam Yates, and is 19 seconds ahead of Dan Martin of Ireland. His main rival, two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia, is fourth, only 23 seconds back.The only major incident involving Froome so far came when a fan running alongside the road got too close during Saturdays eighth stage. Froome responded by landing a left jab to the spectators face.The race jury fined Froome 200 Swiss francs ($203) for inappropriate behavior.I accept it. ... I felt it was the right thing to do, Froome said. He was dangerous at that moment. There have been quite a few incidents with fans in the past few days. Thats just part of the sport, I guess.Another issue that has become part of the sport recently is concern over mechanical doping.Femke Van Den Driessche of Belgium was banned from cycling for six years after a motor was found in her bike at the womens world under-23 cyclo-cross race in January. And in April, French television program Stade 2 claimed to have detected widespread mechanical doping at two Italian races by using roadside thermal cameras.The UCI, cyclings govering body, responded by checking hundreds of bikes at the Tour with thermal imaging equipment.When Froome was asked about a suggestion that the reason he hasnt been able to attack successfully uphill in this Tour was because he doesnt have a motor in his bike, Sky team principal Dave Brailsford responded for the rider.Weve been tested every day, Brailsford said. We actually got an email from the UCI yesterday saying thank you for being the most cooperative team out of everybody in the bike checks.If someone is stupid enough to have the idea of coming here with a motor in their bike, for sure theyll get caught, Brailsford added. The whole discussion about bikes and motors is becoming -- given the level of testing -- something that we need to maybe just reconsider slightly.Froome, meanwhile, seems more focused following the birth of his son, Kellan, in December.Its given me a lot of added motivation, he said. Its given me a lot more energy just for life in general. I love to think of him looking back on these years, when he gets a little bit older and understands it all, and being proud of his old man.The Tours next mountain-top finish comes in Stage 12 on Thursday at the legendary Mont Ventoux, on Bastille Day.Froome was the stage winner when the Tour last scaled Ventouxs barren, 1,909-meter (6,263-foot) peak in 2013.Ventoux was also the site of an epic contest between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani in 2000, and where British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967 after he used a lethal cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol.When I got to the top last time I had to get on oxygen support, I was so tired, Froome said. Its one of the most iconic climbs. To win up there again would be unreal, out of this world.Its going to be interesting to see whos really going to go that deep for the victory there, or are people going to be waiting a little bit knowing theres a time trial the next day? Froome wondered.The race heads to the Alps in the third week, with a rare mountain time trial wedged in between several more grueling Alpine stages.Thats where, Froome said, the race will be won or lost.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampfSteven Matz Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Sam Haggerty Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/220l-jerry-blevins-jersey-mets.html . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. 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Jose Reyes Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night.INDIANAPOLIS -- The stats still look bad for the Indianapolis Colts offensive line.The game tape is finally starting to become more palatable.After allowing a league-high 25 sacks and seeing franchise quarterback Andrew Luck get knocked around dozens more times in the first seven games, this young group is fighting back.Were not where we started at, but I think all five guys are starting to put it together, rookie center Ryan Kelly said earlier this week after another solid performance.Nobody will mistake this starting unit with the leagues best -- or even with those underrated offensive lines who kept Peyton Manning almost spotless for most of his career.But they are clearly making progress.Two weeks ago, at Houston, the Colts linemen paved the way for Frank Gore to become the first Colts 100-yard runner in 56 games.Last week, against a Tennessee defense that has been among the leagues best in sacks, the offensive line held up reasonably well again.While Luck went down twice, as he has in every game this season, the franchise quarterback took only seven hits. Theyve even be cutting down those pesky penalties .The Colts (3-4) did all that despite using five starting lineups in five weeks while using at least two rookies in each game.I think those guys played a great game and I think it showed with our playmakers and the way they performed, left guard Jack Mewhort said after sitting out the Titans game with an injured triceps. It was a great game, but we still have a lot of areas we need to improve on.Mewhort hopes to return Sunday against an opportunistic Kansas City defense .If the recent progression indicates anything, its this: Perhaps Indys offseason investment is starting to pay dividends.With Anthony Castonzo holding down the tackle job for the sixth consecutive season and Mewhort back at guard, general manager Ryan Grigson figured he had a left side foundation on which he could build upon.Grigson drafted Kelly in the first round, hoping to solidify the most unstable position throughout Lucks first four pro seasons. Kelly has not disappointed.His game isnt perfect, hed be the first one to tell you that, coach Chuck Pagano said.Hes making somme mistakes like everyone else but the sirens arent going off at that position, which is a good thing.ddddddddddddIndy is still trying to sort out its right side.While veteran Joe Reitz has started five games at tackle, the Colts (3-4) appear to have found a gem in fifth-round draft pick Joe Haeg, who has played well with two starts at right tackle, one at right guard and one at left guard.Joe Haeg is a perfect example of a guy who comes in, keeps his head down and works and studies, Mewhort said. I think that says a lot about him and his character.The early returns could give Haeg the inside track to becoming the fourth piece in Indys long-term puzzle.Theres no heir apparent yet for the fifth and final piece.Denzelle Good, a second-year player, has had mixed results in his five starts at right guard. Seventh-round draft pick Austin Blythe has one start in place of Good, and its not yet clear how third-round pick LeRaven Clark fits into the plan. Clark has played in three games, but has not started yet.But now that the Colts are putting things together on tape, they need to see something else -- results on paper, too.We watched the film as a group with the running backs as well and we saw some really good things and we saw some things we need to improve on, Castonzo said. As a whole, we felt pretty good about our performance.Game notesMewhort and defensive tackle Henry Anderson (knee) did not practice Thursday after doing limited work Wednesday. Receiver T.Y. Hilton (hip) and inside linebacker DQwell Jackson (rest) also sat out Thursday. ... Tight end Dwayne Allen (ankle), defensive end Kendall Langford (knee), outside linebacker Curt Maggitt (ankle) and receiver Chester Rogers (foot and hamstring) all missed practice for the second straight day. ... Luck (right shoulder and ankle) did limited work Thursday, as has become the weekly norm. Receiver Done Moncrief (shoulder blade) and safety Mike Adams (shin) also were limited participants.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '