gotten. Whats the difference here?

SHERBROOKE, Que. -- Winnipegs Karlee Gendron and Anna Schappert knew what to do when Manitoba lost one of its riders in the three-person mountain biking relay at the Canada Summer Games: Ride as a two-person team. Gendron and Schappert emerged from a chaotic race with a silver medal in the 18-kilometre event after teammate Hanna Boersma had to bow out with ongoing concussion issues. Gendron and Schappert discussed other options in the weeks leading up to the Games, but decided to ride the three-stage event without a third partner. "I was happy it was only going to be two because I got to race two laps," said Gendron on Tuesday, a day after the event. The 21-year-old took the first and third leg, while the 22-year-old Schappert raced the middle stage. "It was awesome to get second," said Gendron before Schappert added: "Yeah, super stoked." Gendron got off to a slow start in the first leg, but caught up to riders from Quebec and Ontario on the first ascension. Quebec Citys Andreane Lanthier-Nadeau got a flat tire near the top of the hill, allowing Gendron to pull into second. "Karlee came in and she was like go go go, Quebec has a mechanical," said Schappert. "Ontario was first, then me and then Alberta was a little bit behind us and then Alberta caught up on the climb. On all the descents I gapped everybody. "On the second half of the lap I could hear a whole ton of Quebec people yelling for Quebec. ... so I wasnt sure how far back she was so I was gunning it up the climb as best I could." While Schappert maintained Manitobas lead, Gendron was on a stationary bike first to cool down from her opening lap, then warm up again for her second. As she prepared to go back on the course she got updates from family and coaches on her teammates progress. "Anna did an amazing job with her lap and held Quebec off her wheel," said Gendron. "Then it was a battle between Frederic Trudel -- who won the cross-country -- and me. It was going back and forth on the climbs and descents and I finally took her in a sprint finish." Ontario won the event in one hour seven minutes 49.23 seconds, Gendron and Schappert finished in 1:11:16.49 and Quebec completed the course in 1:11:17.62. Both Manitobans are experienced cyclists. They have both competed in several Western Canadian Games and Canada Games and Gendron will compete in road cycling in the second week of the 2013 Games. She was Manitobas flag bearer at the Games opening ceremonies. Gendron was able to fall back on that wealth of experience for the relay instead of doing any special preparation for her two trips around the course. "I dont think I did any specific training geared towards doing two laps, but we did the cross-country course on Saturday," said Gendron, who won bronze in that event. "That was the same course as the relay so just learning the course sort of prepared you. Actually, the second lap of the relay I was a lot faster. "You know the course well, you know the conditions for the day, the mud, everything." Both riders enjoyed the relay format of the event, especially the shorter, aggressive laps instead of the more measured pace of a cross-country race. "I think the relay is just a completely different race. Its shorter for each party involved and it just gives you a different dynamic which you can excel at as opposed to cross country," said Schappert. "Because weve only ever raced one kind of race -- the cross country race -- and now theyve shifted it to three completely different types of racing which gives people way more opportunity to shine." Schappert and Gendron also liked working with each other and cheering each other on instead of shouldering all the pressure of an individual event. "It was really wicked," said Schappert. "Its nice having someone to work with because the sport can be really singly focused and when you work in a team its way more rewarding." Added Gendron: "Its totally different when you get into a team atmosphere and you have someone else that youre competing with instead of against." Manitoba was not the only team to overcome adversity. Lanthier-Nadeau carried her bike for most of her six-kilometre lap after a flat tire early on in the race. "I started running because there was no other option, because the tech zone was behind me so I couldnt go back or anything," said the 20-year-old. "I knew that my teammates were really strong and I knew that we still had a shot at the medal. So on the descents I was going on my bike and when it was too uphill or too many rocks, I had to run." Darren Woodson Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Larry-Allen-Cowboys-Jersey/ . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Deion Sanders Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Daryl Johnston Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Editors note: This story originally ran on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2016. Eric Thames signed a three-year contract with the Brewers on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016.Koreas contributions to Major League Baseball have run the gamut in recent years. Jung Ho Kang, the crown jewel of transplants, is an .800 OPS anchor in the Pittsburgh Pirates order. Seattles Dae-Ho Lee flashed some power this season, with 14 home runs in 104 games. Baltimores Hyun Soo Kim hit .302 without a lot of pop, and Byung Ho Park batted .191 in 62 games with Minnesota before a demotion to the minors and season-ending wrist surgery in August. That was hardly what the Twins had in mind when they signed him to a four-year, $12.85 million contract a year ago.So who will be next on the list? The primary name on MLBs Korea radar has California roots, an outsized personality and enough of a mystery factor to suggest he could be a wild card in this winters free-agent market.His name is Eric Thames, and Toronto fans might recall him as a platoon outfielder with the Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012. After drifting from Seattle to Houston to the NC Dinos in the Korean Baseball Organization, he has lured a procession of scouts to the city of Changwon, on Koreas southeastern coast. The?San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are among the clubs that have followed Thames in Korea and expressed varying degrees of interest in him, sources said.Thames, 30, has spent the past three years putting up cartoon numbers that bring to mind the success enjoyed by Tuffy Rhodes and Wladimir Balentien in Japan. In 2015, Thames won the MVP award and a Gold Glove at first base, became the first KBO player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season, logged a .391/.497/.790 slash line and became the first player in Korean baseball to hit for the cycle twice in the same season.This year, Thames regressed slightly, but he still hit 40 homers and logged an OPS of 1.101 for the Dinos, who lost to the Doosan Bears in the KBO final, known as the Korean Series.Now that Thames has reached the end of a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dinos, options abound. He could return to the Dinos, although his success might have priced him out of the KBO. He could pursue a deal in Japan. Or he could plunge into the MLB free-agent market, where the left-handed power-hitting options include Michael Saunders, Colby Rasmus, Mitch Moreland, Adam Lind,?Pedro Alvarez and Brandon Moss.Is Thames an everyday option for a team in search of a power bat, or more of a platoon type? Interested major league teams arent the only ones asking that question. Four years since his last big league at-bat, Thames is curious what the future might bring.Yes, the thought has crossed my mind a few times, Thames said in a recent email to ESPN.com. Im wondering about how my new mindset could transfer over. Next year feels like light years away! Who knows where I will end up.Thames has taken a roundabout route to this point. He played high school ball at Bellarmine Prep -- a private Jesuit school in San Jose, California, that produced big leaguers Pat Burrell and Kevin Frandsen?--?and signed with Toronto as a seventh-round pick out of Pepperdine University in 2008. He was at the bottom of the 40-man roster for a 111-loss Houston team and playing winter ball in Venezuela in December 2013 when representatives for the Dinos squad approached his agents at Sosnick, Cobbe & Karon with interest.As a bearded, muscular, 6-foot-1, 220-pounder with power and an abundance of tattoos, Thames had a certain?appeal for the Dinos.They had done their homework, said Adam Karon, Thames agent. They told us they were interested because, Hes a comic book hero with a prep school education.Thames was initially skeptical about his long-term prospects in the Far East. He planned to go tto Korea for a year, then return stateside.dddddddddddd. But his natural curiosity prompted him to keep an open mind. Shortly after signing with NC, Thames bought the Rosetta Stone Korean program and dove head-first into learning the language.When you look at this as just a paycheck, thats when you struggle, Thames said. The key is to enjoy the ride. Fully embrace the experience. [The] Hangul [alphabet] is pretty easy to learn, so I was able to pick it up easily. I am not fluent by any means, but speaking like a baby is better than not knowing any at all.As Thames immersed himself in the Korean culture and began clearing fences with regularity, he developed an ardent following. He patiently signed autographs for long lines of fans at Masan Stadium, and he grew accustomed to having meals interrupted by fans in search of selfies.Going anywhere with him is insane in that country, Karon said. Its like going out with the Beatles. Girls are crying and people are trying to touch him and get pictures. Ive never seen anything like it.Celebrity came with a price. In late September, Thames was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and suspended nine games. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Korea is 0.050, considerably lower than in the U.S., and Thames registered a 0.056. He apologized and subsequently did community service as a penance.A Far East scout for an MLB club said Thames showed a strong work ethic in Korea and was popular with his teammates. The natural question is how his skills will translate to the majors. Can he adjust to higher level of competition and bigger ballparks in the majors? Thames has more of a line-drive swing than loft power. Can he catch up to 94-95 mph fastballs after feasting on 89-91 mph heaters in the KBO?Hes very aggressive at the plate and on the field, too, for that matter, the scout said. Hes a first-ball fastball hacker, boy. Hes trying to hit the ball hard. Sometime you see guys who are happy to make contact and put the ball in play. Thats not him. Hes gonna hurt somebody someday.Thames defense in the outfield was considered below-average in Toronto. He moved to first base in Korea and will most likely be viewed by MLB teams as a combination first baseman-corner outfield-DH candidate. A National League front office man said he wouldnt be surprised if teams were willing to give Thames a multiyear deal to return to the States.You have an element thats going to be skeptical, the executive said. Hes already played over here, and he wasnt a tremendous success the first time. But you have to ask yourself, Is this guy a late bloomer?Look at some of the money that Cuban players have gotten. Whats the difference here? I think somebody is going to bite, and hell get a contract for two years and $12 million, or three years and $15-18 million.Thames, who majored in integrated marketing and communications at Pepperdine, is back on the open market as a more mature, worldly player than the one who first traveled to Korea in 2014. He has embraced meditation and is a fan of Shawn Greens book, The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph.I focus on the process rather than the results, Thames said. When I was younger, I just wanted to be liked by fans and wanted to be an All-Star, but there is a process to succeed at that high of a level. I believe meditation is very important. It helps keep your head above water. It helps you live in the present moment.The present finds Eric Thames open to offers and interested in seeing how much MLB teams value his achievements in Korea. After traveling roughly 6,000 miles to find himself, hes about to discover how it feels to be wanted back in the states. ' ' '