Technik » a run in the top of the eighth. B.J. Upton led off

TORONTO – While the future face of the Maple Leafs was being introduced beside Gate 5 of the Air Canada Centre on Monday morning, the head coach of the hockey club was busy conducting exit interviews for perhaps the final time in Toronto. One player – a young defenceman, almost certain to be 23-year-old Jake Gardiner based on the clues – entered the office of Randy Carlyle and expressed frustration with the constraints he felt from the coaching staff early in the season. Carlyle was admittedly shocked by the revelation, especially taken aback by who this player compared himself with in the league. "Theres some surprising things that come back from players, something youd never imagine," Carlyle said on Tuesday afternoon, his future as the Leafs head coach on the most uncertain of terms at the outset of another disappointing offseason in Toronto. It was one more (and perhaps final) source of befuddlement for a coach still in search of answers following a season that unraveled in rapid and stinging fashion. In less than a month, his team went from chasing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs to 12th in the East and an eighth absence from the playoffs in the past nine seasons. "We never really created an identity for our hockey club this year," he said, worn down after missing the postseason for just the second time in his NHL coaching career. "We didnt play to an identity and thats what was disturbing because we had been a competitive group in the year previous. We felt that this group going forward was ready to take the next step and a lot of people felt the same way and it didnt materialize." Carlyles imagined idea of Maple Leaf hockey was realized only in the most fleeting of moments, never consistently, be it from shift to shift, period to period, or game to game. He pushed and prodded for a team that was difficult to play against, that defended with vigour and attitude, that slugged it out for extended periods in the offensive zone (Toronto was amongst the worst possession teams in the league) and he rarely got it. Dave Bolland and David Clarkson were supposed to help establish that brand – replacing Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Leo Komarov amongst others – but with Bollands long-term injury and Clarksons year-long struggle, the club actually felt off rather dramatically in terms of the identity and attitude it had established in 48 games last season. The drop-off from Grabovski to replacements for Bolland (and Tyler Bozak thereafter) was considerable as was the dip from MacArthur and Komarov to Clarkson. Those offseason changes, made by Dave Nonis, were seemingly made with the brand of the head coach in mind. Carlyle banged the drum loudly all year for what needed to change – even as the group piled up wins in early October and in parts beyond – but could never figure out how to make it stick, his brand of hockey rarely aligning with a group that was equally hard-headed and ultimately unfit to play such a style or system consistently. "We spent a lot of time and effort on trying to create, sell, visualize what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf," he said. "For this year we were not able to create that. Those are the things that youre going to scratch your head and bang your head against the wall Why didnt it happen? Why didnt it happen? And thats what were all asking ourselves: Why didnt it happen? Because we had it the previous shortened season, the lockout season. We were a hard team to play against." But in the lockout year of 2013, the Leafs had a superb penalty kill, a top-10 offence and strong goaltending, elements that glossed over some of the instabilities that became quickly apparent in the 2013-14 campaign that followed. Despite woeful defensive play, they made it to March in good shape on the strength of a top-five power-play, a dominant top line and superb goaltending from Jonathan Bernier. Once those elements quieted some, the house of cards collapsed – Carlyle said they lost their "mojo" following a successful swing through California. (Over-using the likes of Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk down the stretch, with nothing suitable on the fourth line for support, surely didnt help matters.) Replacing the high-risk, high-reward Ron Wilson, Carlyle was supposed to dramatically alter the course of the Leafs upon his arrival in March 2012, both in terms of structure and style. He was supposed to be the elixir, especially, for how they defended, but in 2013-14, Carlyles Leafs were actually worse in keeping the puck out of the net than in Wilsons final full season behind the bench. No team in the league gave up as many shots as the squad in Toronto – 856 more in fact than the NHLs best in New Jersey – forcing the goaltending to be better than average most nights for two points. Carlyle trumpeted the struggle as a matter of compete – part of the problem certainly – obfuscating of course his inability to affect change where it was once promised he would. "Were not asking the players to do something that they havent done before or wouldnt have done in another situation – be it junior hockey or American Hockey League," Carlyle. "You have to play and you have to compete on the defensive side of the puck with will and commitment and we did not want to do that on a day-to-day basis and thats what our struggles were." His status for next season remains uncertain at best. Neither new president, Brendan Shanahan, nor his second in command Dave Nonis would say if Carlyle would be back, preferring to thoroughly assess the group first in the days ahead. "Im here today," Carlyle said. But he was still searching for answers... "If you think you have all the answers youre in the wrong business," he concluded. "Theres things that you know youd like to do differently as a staff, as a person, as an individual. Theres certain ways you deal with certain things. Theres points that you felt shouldve been a lot stronger on or you shouldve been softer on. Theres all those things. Youre going to question yourself all the time." Kyle Kuzma Lakers Jersey . Luis Enrique signed the deal with club president Josep Bartomeu two days after it was announced by the club. That was two days after coach Gerardo Martino stepped down when Barcelona finished its first season without a major trophy in six years. Byron Scott Lakers Jersey .D. Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Wilt-Chamberlain-Jersey/ . Ferrer, the two-time defending champion in Buenos Aires, is aiming to win his 21st ATP tournament. Ferrer will next face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the fourth seed, who defeated Jeremy Chardy of France 7-6 (7), 6-3 in another quarterfinal match. Michael Cooper Jersey . The biggest collapse in franchise history was a long time ago, and he was too busy trying to make sure it didnt happen again. Nick Van Exel Lakers Jersey . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship.BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox were charging out of the dugout before the winning run reached home plate. After a 10-game skid, winning sure feels good. Atlantas third error in the last two innings allowed Jackie Bradley Jr. to score from second as the Red Sox rallied to beat Atlanta 4-3 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win. "They contributed with some balls in play on the defensive side of things," Boston manager John Farrell said. "Just a good comeback win overall." Boston trailed 3-1 before tying it with a pair of runs in the eighth then won it in the ninth. Bradley and Brock Holt drew back-to-back walks off closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1). Xander Bogaerts followed with a hard grounder to Chris Johnson at third base for an infield single. Johnson stopped it and made a strong throw but La Stella missed the catch with Holt bearing down. Bradley hadnt even scored yet when the Red Sox began rushing out of the dugout. "The arrows pointing in the right direction," Bradley said. Bogaerts was credited with a single and the error was initially charged to Johnson. The official scoring on the play was changed later and the error charged to La Stella. The change mattered little to the Braves, who had no errors before taking a 3-1 lead into the eighth. "You play this game long enough, things like that are going to happen," said centre fielder B.J. Upton, who had one of two errors for the Braves in the eighth. "Well get by it and be ready to play tomorrow." Koji Uehara (1-1) got the win after eight solid innings by starter Jake Peavy for the Red Sox, who completed a four-game sweep in the home-and-home series with the Braves. "Its just unfortunate. I felt like we were making good pitches at the end and the balls were just dropping in," Atlanta starter Mike Minor said. "Theyre a tough team. I feel like every four games we played them, they battled back every time. Its kind of expected out of them to battle back." Minor also pitched well, holding Boston to one ruun on seven hits in seven innings.dddddddddddd Minor didnt walk a batter and struck out three. Jason Heyward homered and Freddie Freeman drove in a run and scored once for the Braves, who lost their fourth straight and fifth in six games. Atlanta led 3-1 when Holt led off the eighth with a bloop single to left off reliever David Carpenter. He went to second when left fielder Justin Upton took his eye off the ball and it bounced past him. Bogaerts followed with an RBI single and Dustin Pedroia reached on a slow roller up the middle that was called a hit. A.J. Pierzynski followed with another single to centre that B.J. Upton let get by him for the second error of the inning, allowing Bogaerts to score and tie it at 3-all. "I had it lined up right in the middle of my body and went to field it. The grass just kind of took it away from me," B.J. Upton said. Atlanta had just gone up 3-1 with a run in the top of the eighth. B.J. Upton led off with a single to left and scored when Freeman followed with a double off the wall in left-centre. Heywards homer with two outs in the third gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead. The Braves added a run in the fourth when Freeman led off with a walk, advanced to second on a balk and scored on Evan Gattis single. Boston cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the fifth when David Ross doubled and scored on a two-out double by Holt. Peavy allowed three runs on eight hits in eight innings. He struck out four and walked one. NOTES: Boston returns to American League play Friday when Tampa Bay visits Friday with LHP David Price (4-4) facing Boston righty Brandon Workman (0-0). ... Boston DH David Ortiz did not start because of a sore right calf, a move manager John Farrell called precautionary. Ortiz pinch hit in the eighth and drew an intentional walk with two outs. ... Boston 1B Ryan Lavarnway left the game in the sixth with a sore left wrist. ... ... Atlanta SS Andrelton Simmons returned to the lineup missing Wednesdays game with an inflamed right ankle ' ' '