Jobs » games, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Golden State clos

LONDON – Following an early-round win at this years Wimbledon, Genie Bouchard brought a stuffed Cinderella doll to her news conference. A fan had tossed it to her. "I like to think thats me," Bouchard said sheepishly with a smile while looking down at the blonde-haired doll in her hand. "Someone gave me it, because Im a princess." Bouchard was named after royalty: Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, to be precise. And she admits she does have some "princess-like tendencies" that go beyond just the name. "You can ask my coach or my parents or anyone: I can be a princess," Bouchard admitted eliciting laughs from a throng of reporters. "I mean, theyre not horrible, but I can be moody in the morning. Im not so much of a morning person. My fitness trainer carries my tennis bag around, but thats so I dont get tired, because I want to save all my energy for the match. "I mean, I can demand a few things once in a while, but I do it with love," the 20-year-old said with a big grin. Bouchards Wimbledon campaign has all the elements of a fairytale story. Even a platonic Prince Charming has emerged in the form of an American television star. Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, has travelled to the All-England Club to support Bouchard. "Its my favourite show," Bouchard explained. "Its a comedy, you know. For me, so many unexpected things, you just burst out laughing. Its a nice way to relax and have a good time. Its less stressful to watch than, say, like a movie on a war or something. Its pretty relaxing, which I love. Jim Parsons character, Sheldon, is my favourite character. Hes so nerdy. I love the character. Hes so smart and set in his ways. "I think the writing of the show is pretty spectacular." Considering how much Bouchard likes the hit sitcom her agent decided to reach out to Parsons last year and invite him to Wimbledon. Parsons was touched, but couldnt attend due to work obligations. However, he started watching Bouchards matches and writing her emails after each one. Theyve become friends through this pen-pal relationship. And now Parsons is finally here in London. "Its a random pairing, right?" Bouchard said again with a huge smile. "Well, its been a year since weve been in contact. Since then hes watched pretty much every match he could watch or else he would follow on live scores. Hes emailed me after every single match Ive played. Hes more positive than all of my team combined. So its a refreshing change to get a nice email with exclamation marks and smiley faces. Im such a big fan of his show. He says hes such a big fan of me. So its really cool that hes here to finally watch me live. "We talk about, you know, the mental aspect in tennis. He says how its similar to him acting. He has to be in the moment on set and all these things. Its interesting to see how similar the mentality is in different careers." WATCH: Jim Parsons explains how he and Bouchard became friends With a Prince Charming on site, Bouchard has lived a somewhat charmed life at Wimbledon this year. A seemingly difficult draw opened up a bit when Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were eliminated one round before they were to face Bouchard. On Monday, Bouchard was scheduled to play on Centre Court, which has a retractable roof, and was able to complete her fourth-round match while all her rivals sat and waited due to a lengthy rain delay. "Im happy I got the experience of playing under the famous roof," Bouchard quipped that day. "I follow the roof on Twitter (@WimbledonRoof) and hes kind of funny. I hope hes proud of how I played today. He was looking down. Hopefully he enjoyed the match." The rest of the field didnt find it so funny as every other woman in the draw was forced to play on Tuesday while Bouchard rested up. Then in the semifinals, opponent Simona Halep injured her foot early in the first set, somewhat limiting her mobility and contributing to her defeat. Everything seems to be falling into place and a lifelong ambition is within reach. "I started playing tennis at five years old," Bouchard said on Friday. "Soon after, you know, it was my dream to become a professional tennis player. I was very young when I decided I wanted to do it. I was nine. Since that age I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam." On Saturday, Bouchard gets that chance. Standing in her way is No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion. But Bouchard is a Wimbledon champion as well. It has been just two short years since the Canadian claimed the junior title here. Bouchard likes the grass, which accentuates her aggressive game. She likes the Royal Box, the tradition and even the strict all-white clothing policy at the All England Club. This is her favourite Grand Slam and Bouchard seems to have the crowd on her side in each match she plays. Considering all of the above, it would be fitting if this was the stage where all her hard work pays off. "Its been a long time in the making, you know, for it to finally come together, all the hard work, the talent I know I have, the effort I put in, you know, for it to produce results on the match court. Thats happened this year, but, you know, its been a long time in the making. I wouldnt say its an overnight thing," Bouchard explained. "Ive just been believing in myself more and more and meeting the challenges I faced. I played on the professional tour for a year and I was improving as I was playing that year; the same this year. So every time I have a challenge, I just try to get better. Its really helped." Wholesale NHL Jerseys . Not because it was right, but because referees werent allowed to determine it was wrong. Clearance NHL Jerseys . -- The Oakland Athletics and free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon have agreed to terms on a US$2 million, one-year contract, bolstering their depleted starting rotation. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . - Aroldis Chapman, with two black eyes, has returned to the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse four days after being hit in the face by a line drive. Discount NHL Jerseys .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge.CLEVELAND -- Stephen Curry somehow misplaced his shooting touch coming out of the locker room at halftime. He located it just in time to save the Warriors. Curry scored 29 points and made a clutch jumper with 13.5 seconds left as the Golden State opened a long road trip with their fifth straight victory, 108-104 in overtime against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Curry, who nearly recorded a triple-double by adding 11 assists and nine rebounds in 48 minutes, was just 1 of 11 from the floor in the second half and OT when he pulled up and knocked down the games biggest shot to give the Warriors a 108-104 lead. "Thank God for the green light," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Hes a guy we believe in. Were not going to tell him to stop shooting." David Lee, who didnt have a point or rebound in the first half, finished with 19 points before fouling out for the Warriors, who are on the road for seven games over the next 13 days. Kyrie Irving scored 27 for Cleveland, which dropped its fifth straight and lost its third tight game in a row. The Cavs lost by three in Boston on Saturday and two in double-overtime against Atlanta on Thursday. "Weve just got to close out games better," Irving said. "It sounds simple but weve just got to do a better job of it." Irving drained a 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in regulation to tie it 99-all. The Warriors, who once trailed by 17, quickly pushed the ball up the floor for one final shot, but Currys 8-foot runner in the lane bounced off the rim in the last second, sending the teams to overtime. Curry threw his head back in disbelief at the miss. "It was my best look," he said. "I just missed it." But the silky smooth point guard more than made up for it in the extra session. After Irving missed, Curry fed Andre Iguodala on the wing and the Warriors forward alertly hit a cutting Draymond Green for a dunk to put Golden State ahead 106-104 with 59 seconds to go. Jarrett Jack misfired for the Cavs, and with the 24-second shot clock winding down on the Warriors next possession, Curry dropped a contested 23-foot jumper from the left side to put Golden State up by four. "It was frustrating," Curry said of his drought before hitting his big jumper. "None of them were tough looks. They were shots I made in the first half. You realize you have time to make some more plays.dddddddddddd I was blessed I had more opportunities." The Warriors then stole Clevelands last inbounds pass to wrap up a grind-it-out win. Green went just 2 of 10 from the field but added 10 rebounds, and Klay Thompson scored 16 for Golden State. Currys shot wasnt falling after halftime, so he adjusted his game and picked up seven assists in the second half and overtime. The loss wrapped up a strange weekend for the Cavs, who excused Andrew Bynum indefinitely on Saturday for conduct detrimental to the team. The Cavs are trying to trade the 7-foot centre, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract with Cleveland in July and showed flashes of being dominant again but became a headache. Bynums bizarre situation continues to hover over the Cavs. His locker was empty except for a half-loaf of whole grain bread, a jar of peanut butter, headphones, a pair of sneakers and shower sandals. Its unlikely hell be back to fetch them as the Cavs will either deal or release him before Jan. 7, the deadline for his contract to be guaranteed. The Cavs beat the Warriors at their own fast-paced game in the first half, building a 64-47 lead with 1:13 left before halftime on Jacks 3-pointer. But Curry, who came in shooting just 32 per cent (20 of 63) from the field in his past four games, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Golden State closed the half with an 8-0 tear to pull within 64-55 at the break. Curry went 5 for 5 from long range in the first half. The Cavaliers reeled off 18 straight points in the first quarter, turning a five-point deficit into a 12-point lead. Irving and C.J. Miles made 3-pointers during the stunning run, which helped Cleveland open a 35-26 lead after one. NOTES: The Warriors have won six in a row over the Cavs. ... Not surprisingly, Jackson had high praise for Curry, who came in averaging 23.2 points and 9.5 assists. "Hes a star player," Jackson said. "I think people realize that. I love the fact hes picking and choosing when to facilitate, when to score. Hes scoring the basketball but even more impressive is hes second in the league in assists." ... The Warriors will travel 8,300 miles on their road trip, which ends Jan. 8 at Brooklyn. ... Cavs coach Mike Brown said he had to take off his expensive shoes during the pregame walk-through and convince his young players he wasnt wearing Hush Puppies. ' ' '