~~**NEWS**~~ » itcher and helped deliver a happier end

Mark McMorris fractured rib is steadily improving, so much so that the gold-medal favourite in Sochi plans to snowboard in a few days to "see how it goes." McMorris responded in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that he feels "pretty good" nearly a week after his crash during the Winter X Games slopestyle final. He has a few more days to heal with slopestyle qualifying at the Sochi Games not beginning until Feb. 6. Last weekend, the 20-year-old from Regina caught his snowboard on the lip of a rail and landed hard on the bar, then slid down on his right side before hitting the snow. "I was in a lot of pain and I couldnt breathe," he said in the email. "I just had to get up. I couldnt lay there. I was so disappointed." He made it down the hill that afternoon under his own power and headed to the hospital, where X-rays revealed he had a fractured rib but no other damage. And now McMorris refuses to let the fall derail his Olympic aspirations. "I am really blessed and lucky I get a second chance to try and give it a shot," he said. Asked if his rib might hamper him during competition, McMorris responded: "I cant predict it until I get out there and try." McMorris arrived in Europe early so he could get accustomed to the time difference. He said hes pretty much been "in a stationary place trying to get better. Feeling Ok but my rib is still broken so its not 100 per cent. ... Every day (the rib) gets better and I still have 4 or 5 days before I compete." Sore rib and all, McMorris will still be one of the favourites as slopestyle makes its Olympic debut. He could be the biggest challenger to Shaun White, who will also try to defend his title in the halfpipe. Pressure being the front-runner? "For sure," McMorris said in an interview at Winter X, a few days before his crash. "Whenever youre at the top of the sport, people look to you to keep going. Ive proven time and time again, that I can get the result. "Now, when were talking on an even bigger level, the Olympics, its really put on my shoulders. But everybody feels pressure. You can either take it in a positive or negative way. I try to feed off of it." McMorris doesnt view White so much with a sense of awe, but rather as simply another competitor in a talent-rich field that includes fellow Canadian rider Max Parrot, who won at Winter X with back-to-back triple-cork jumps. In fact, its White whos been doing most of the chasing in this event, because McMorris has been the snowboarder with the innovative tricks. "(White) is another guy youve got to beat," McMorris said in the interview before his crash. "I go to a contest to ride the best I can. Its in the judges hands after that. Thats what everybody does. I dont think its a sport where youre trying to take down any certain person. Youre trying to win a contest and do the best you can do." Nike Sb Sale . LOUIS -- Russell Martin wanted a better fate for his starting pitcher and helped deliver a happier ending. Cheap Nike Sb . - Josh Sterk scored twice to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 7-1 rout of the Ottawa 67s in Mondays Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.wholesalenikesbaustralia.com/. As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Nike Sb Clearance Sale . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Cheap Nike Sb Shoes Australia . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Hill was having a miserable night at the plate until he got one more chance to redeem himself. A few well-chosen words of encouragement from manager Kirk Gibson didnt hurt. Hill hit a two-run single in the 12th inning and Miguel Montero homered, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. "Gibby told me in the seventh or eighth inning, Youre going to get the game-winning hit tonight," Hill said. "He knew I was frustrated a little bit, so it just picked me up a little bit and I appreciated it. I dont know if I believed him at the time, but it worked out." Arizona snapped a six-game losing streak and improved to 5-14, the worst record in the majors. To do it, the Diamondbacks had to overcome Juan Uribes tying homer in the ninth off closer Addison Reed. "Obviously, the last week or so has been rough," Hill said. "But every day these guys come in with a great attitude, and it doesnt matter if its extra innings or not. It was a beautiful win tonight. It was refreshing, and hopefully we can keep it going." Chris Perez (0-1) gave up a leadoff double to A.J. Pollock in the 12th and plunked pinch-hitter Cliff Pennington on the left foot as he squared to bunt. Gerardo Parra advanced the runners with a sacrifice, and Hill lined an 0-1 pitch to right-centre to break the tie. The second baseman was hitless in five previous at-bats and didnt hit the ball out of the infield. Joe Thatcher (0-1) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the victory and six-year veteran Trevor Cahill got three outs for his first major league save. Cahill was 0-4 with a 9.17 ERA in four starts before he was demoted to the bullpen. "I dont think I was spending all day today thinking I was going to get a save tonight," Cahill said. "Youre out there watching the game, then all of a sudden youre in there and you dont have time to think about it. It was a close game, and I guess I got lonelier down there with everybody leaving. But it was fun. "You dont have to worry about pacing yourself. You can just let it go. Its a lot different than starting, because your adrenaline goes so quick. Then its over, and you dont know what happened." The Dodgers had won the first five meetings with the Diamondbacks this year, including both ends of their season-opening series in Sydney and last weekends three-game set at Phoenix.dddddddddddd The Diamondbacks took a 2-1 lead in the ninth when pinch-runner Tony Campana scored on a wild pitch by reliever Chris Withrow, who was attempting to walk Martin Prado intentionally after falling behind him 2-0. "Ive seen that before, but never been a part of it," Dodgers catcher Tim Federowicz said. "I think if I wouldve jumped a little higher I mightve got it." Uribe responded in the bottom half with a one-out homer on a 2-2 pitch from Reed. Six of Uribes last eight regular-season homers have come against the Diamondbacks -- three in an 8-1 victory last Sept. 9 at Dodger Stadium. Arizona starter Wade Miley took a two-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the seventh in his rematch with Zack Greinke, but Scott Van Slyke drove Mileys 108th and final pitch the other way into the right-field pavilion leading off the inning. "It was a fun game to be a part of," Miley said. "Obviously I wasnt enthused about the walks, but I got through it. I told Gibby I wanted to go out there for the seventh and save the bullpen a little more. It wasnt a terrible pitch, but it caught a little more of the plate than I wanted it to and he did a good job with it." Miley struck out eight and walked five in his third start of the season against Los Angeles. Both of the left-handers losses have come against the defending NL West champions, including an 8-5 victory by Greinke last Saturday in Phoenix. "Miley had better command tonight. He attacked more and threw a lot more strikes early," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "The two games before, we were getting into favourable counts." Montero homered in the sixth off Greinke, who struck out eight over six innings as Los Angeles opened a 10-game homestand. NOTES: The Dodgers havent won their first six meetings against a team in their own division since 1988, when they started 6-0 against Atlanta. The Braves were in the NL West at that time. ... Thatcher has not allowed an earned run in his last 32 appearances against the Dodgers spanning 19 innings. ... Thirteen of the last 14 home runs Greinke has allowed have been solo shots, including the last nine. ... Tommy Lasorda and his wife, Jo, celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary at Dodger Stadium. They were a big hit on the "Kiss-Cam" after the fourth inning. ' ' '