Leafs first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Prince Fielder ended his Texas home run drought, and Robbie Ross finally got some help from the offence as a starter. Fielder and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit back-to-back homers, Ross limited Seattle to five singles in seven-plus innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Mariners 5-0 Tuesday night. Fielder ended a 13-game homerless streak to start the season with a line drive to right-centre field off former Texas first-round pick Blake Beavan (0-1) to lead off the second inning. Two pitches later, Kouzmanoff went deep to left. Told before the game that he was a game away from tying the longest drought to start a season in his career, Fielder casually figured it was about time for a long ball. "I was just messing around," said Fielder, in his first season with the Rangers after a trade that sent fan favourite Ian Kinsler to Detroit. "But I guess it worked." The Mariners didnt get a runner past second base in their third shutout loss in a week. "Probably the first night where I was probably a little disappointed in our approach a little bit," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I thought we should have done better." Kouzmanoff also had two doubles, the second one driving in two runs to put the Rangers up 4-0 in the eighth inning. Fielder scored from first base after he was intentionally walked following a pair of strikeouts. Ross (1-0), a former reliever, got his first win as a starter in his third try as the Rangers recorded their third straight win by shutout and fourth in seven victories overall. Fielders homer was the first run the Rangers scored with Ross on the mound. He had gone 12 1-3 innings without Texas scoring, tops in the majors. "Its funny because Im just trying to go out there and do the best I can to keep it close because I know were going to start scoring," said Ross, who has allowed two earned runs in 18 innings as a starter. Ross struck out Abraham Almonte and Brad Miller to start the game, but didnt have another strikeout. After Robinson Cano and Corey Hart followed with singles, Ross ended the first inning on Stefen Romeros groundout to short -- the first of seven straight outs on grounders and 16 overall. The left-hander didnt walk anybody in 7 2-3 innings, but hit Miller with a pitch twice. The second one made Cano the potential tying run in the eighth, but Ross got him on a flyout to centre before Alexi Ogando replaced him. "I think he was able to get in on us and I guess kind of mix it up," Miller said. "We really just didnt string together our good at-bats often, but credit to him." Beavan was called up from Triple-A Tacoma to fill in for rookie left-hander James Paxton, who is out with a strained muscle in his back. He gave up six hits -- the other four besides the homers were singles -- in four innings with one strikeout. He came out for Dominic Leone because of shoulder soreness. The right-hander who grew up in nearby Irving spent most of last season with Tacoma after losing his spot in the rotation after two starts. It was his first start since April 10, 2013, and first appearance since a relief outing last July 9. NOTES: It will be a battle of aces Wednesday night when Seattles Felix Hernandez facing Texas Yu Darvish. The Japanese right-hander is the first AL starter since Hernandez in 2007 to begin the season with two starts of at least seven shutout innings in April. Darvish lost to Hernandez twice during his rookie season in 2012. They didnt face each other last year. ... The Rangers had multiple homers in a game for the first time this season. They went deep just twice in their first seven home games. ... The Mariners had a double play that went down as a routine 6-4-3, but was far from it. The ball caromed off shortstop Millers glove straight to Cano just as he was getting to second base, and Cano made the easy throw to first. 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Mark Gastineau Jersey .J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil.TORONTO -- Over the years, the Toronto Raptors have heard all about the perceived disadvantages of NBA life north of the border. The complaints have run the gamut -- from the long, snowy winters, to concerns about taxes to the lack of ESPN on cable TV. Instead of playing defence when it comes to perception, the franchise is going on the offensive. The Great White North is embraced and the Ontario capital takes centre stage in the teams new "We The North" campaign, which features a 60-second video that kicks off a massive franchise rebrand over the next two years. "This is the statement we want to make to Canada and I think this is the chip we have, which is were the north and theres no one else," Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Tim Leiweke said Wednesday from New York. "Its just us and everyone looks past us. But were OK with that now." The video is not meant to be an advertisement for a team preparing to make its first playoff appearance in six years. Instead, the franchise wants the spot and the campaign to serve as a foundation for a team revolution. "This is a crusade now," Leiweke said. "This is not just a rally cry, this is, I think, our identity. "I think thats what we like about this is for the next two to three years, this is who we are and this is who we represent and this is who we fight for." The team is still finalizing release plans for other components of the campaign. However, new colours and a new logo will be rolled out "in short order," Leiweke said. Toronto hip-hop artist Drake was "heavily involved" in the inspiration for the spot, and Leiweke said the teams global ambassador was also involved in logo plans and the decision to stick with the Raptors name. "He thinks that the Vince Carter generation, those kids that grew up and got inspired by Vince, these are now the (Anthony) Bennetts of the world and the (Andrew) Wiggins of the world," Leiweke said. "And they relate to the Raptors in a very different way than that Barney dinosaur or Jurassic Park marketing campaign. "Now this is a cultural thing and Drake said, Stick to it and just define your culture and make it you." In the video, clips of the city skyline are mixed with snippets of basketball action from local neighbourhoods and highlights of the Raptors in action. "And far from the east side, miles from the west side, nowhere near the south side, we are the north side," a narrator says in the piece. "A territory all our own. And if that makes us outsiders -- were in." "My favourite shot is the kid bouncing the basketball through the field of ice," Leiwekke said.dddddddddddd "And its like, Thats it right there. Thats what we want. People dont understand we have a revolution going on in Canada. Were producing great players. Weve got kids inspired that are playing the sport in record numbers. We have the highest growth level in North America. "We are a team that suddenly people are rallying around and are excited about. And by the way, all of our guys love playing for Canada and were it. Weve got 35 million people. No one has 35 million people in their marketplace." It has been a remarkable rebound season for a franchise that has been hamstrung by mediocrity. Toronto opened the current campaign with a poor 6-12 record but things turned around last December after Rudy Gay was dealt to Sacramento in a seven-player trade. The Raptors were energized by the move and have been one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference since. Toronto recently clinched the Atlantic Division title and took a 48-33 record into the regular-season finale Wednesday night in New York. The Raptors turnaround has been a pleasant surprise in a city where post-season action in any of the major sports is a rarity. Fans are still stinging from the Toronto Maple Leafs late-season collapse that cost them a playoff spot this year. The NHL club has made the post-season just once in the last decade. Down the road at Rogers Centre, it has been over 20 years since the Toronto Blue Jays last made the playoffs. The Blue Jays are coming off a last-place finish in the American League East division and are not expected to contend this year. The Raptors will take a page from the hockey teams playbook by hosting a "Party in the Square" in Maple Leaf Square outside Air Canada Centre for playoff games this spring. It was a hotspot last year during the Maple Leafs first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins. Ticket demand also appears to be quite high for Canadas lone NBA team. Torontos average playoff ticket price is $125. However, a recent Forbes website report said the Raptors have the highest average playoff ticket price ($370.62) on the secondary market. "To me its less about what people are paying on the secondary (market) and more about we have a greater demand for NBA playoff tickets than any market today in the NBA," Leiweke said. "So out of those 16 markets, right now Toronto is the .... ticket. I think that bodes well." Toronto has reached the NBA playoffs on five previous occasions, the most recent being a first-round loss to the Orlando Magic in 2008. The Raptors lone series victory came in 2001 when they beat the New York Knicks before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '