m from his wife!It meant so much to me, esp

Angry, embarrassed, frustrated, disappointed, upset, hurting. These were the words synonymous with Steven Smiths Australians in the aftermath of defeat to South Africa in Hobart. Another, resilient, is not.Smith cut a bewildered and downtrodden figure as he sorted through the wreckage of a humiliating fifth Test match defeat in succession, the national sides first innings loss at home since the fateful Ashes summer of 2010-11. Clearly angry with the performances of his players, he suggested it may be time for widespread personnel changes.I am embarrassed to be sitting here to be perfectly honest with you, Smith said. Too many times we have lost wickets in clumps, 8 for 30 today, 10 for 85 in the first innings, and you are not winning any games of cricket when are you doing that. And it is happening way too consistently for my liking.We are not being resilient, we are not willing to tough it out and get through tough periods and the longer you spend out there things get easier, albeit the wicket was doing quite a bit and it was hard. But, the boys have got to start being a bit tougher and getting in a grind and getting in a contest and try to build a few partnerships because right now it is not good enough.Asked directly about the tenure of the national team coach Darren Lehmann, who signed a contract extension in August to take him through to 2019, Smith was adamant in his support. I think hes been terrific over a long period of time, he said. Its not his fault were not playing well, its up to us to go out there and do the job. He does everything he can for us in training and preparation.We prepare well, its just at the moment when we get out in the middle were not executing our skills well enough and not handling the pressures of international cricket well enough. As a playing group that has to change, and from my point of view I have absolutely no problem with anything Darren is doing at the moment.Smith was less effusive in his words about the way the selection panel was operating, declining to answer the question of whether he was getting the teams he desired. Its obviously talked about and I do talk to the selectors quite a bit and in the end it is up to them to pick the team that they think best, he said. I have got to back their job and go out there and support our guys and do whatever we can to win cricket matches but obviously were not doing that and it is not working.With the knowledge that Australia are currently mired in the sort of slump that costs careers, Smith admitted that all manner of issues, from selection and schedules to the personnel in and around the team and at Cricket Australia would all be under heavy scrutiny.Yeah, it is not working, Smith said when asked if the time had come to rip up existing plans and start over. So, obviously on the back of five losses there is going to be a lot talked about in regards to selection and things like that. And weve got to start finding a way to turn things around.Whether the ball is seaming or spinning or swinging we dont have an answer at the moment. We are not resilient enough, we are not digging in enough, we are not having the pride in our wicket, were just not being resilient enough and something has got to change. We have got to play a lot better than we have been if we are going to beat any opposition around the world at the moment.Smith agreed that the present batting rut suggested the team had not earned the right to play with the sort of flair and aggression usually associated with Australian cricket. In conditions conducive to bowlers but far from impossible, he said that the players in the team had to think more keenly about their approach.I think that depends on conditions, if the wickets are flat and there is nothing happening fine you can play aggressively and positively, he said. But if there is anything in the wicket: spin, swing, seam, at the moment we are not adapting well enough, we are not willing to grind it out and spend enough time out in the middle to be positive.It comes down to that resilience and having a good defence, at the moment our defence is being challenged and it hasnt been good enough. You can play that positive brand once you get in and things get easier, but we have got to be willing to do the hard yards to be in a position where we can be positive and drive the game.Looking more widely around Australian cricket, Smith said he wanted to see more evidence of hungry batsmen in domestic cricket. Theres some guys there that are scoring some big runs on occasions and then probably not being as consistent as they would like to put their names up there, he said. Thats what I mean when I say no one is really jumping out of the pack and getting big hundreds or three hundreds in a row.At the moment what weve got going on is not working so it might be about getting some younger guys in and getting some experience at this level, you never know, guys might really step up to the plate and step up to the level of international cricket. Air Max Cheap Online . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Air Max Canada . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. http://www.cheapairmaxcanada.com/ .C. United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. Air Max For Sale . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Air Max Clearance .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. TAMPA, Fla. -- It may have been just a rubber ring, but to Tampa Bay Buccaneers?receiver Cecil Shorts III, it was so much more than that.It was his wedding ring, the one he wears in place of his actual wedding band, and it got lost last week when he handed his gloves to a fan in the stands, 27-year-old Air Force staff sergeant Josh Ortega.After the Bucs 36-10 win over the Chicago Bears?on Sunday, Ortega gave Shorts his ring back, and Shorts had a special surprise for the lifelong Bucs fan, who is stationed at Tampas MacDill Air Force Base -- an autographed jersey. Coincidentally, it was the Bucs annual Salute to Service game, where the team honors members of the armed forces.He deserves it. ... [The ring] means a lot. I thought Id never see it again, Shorts said. I just thanked him for being so kind.The moment was captured by a local reporter.?After the Bucs Thursday Night Football game on Nov. 3, a 43-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Shorts gave his gloves away but didnt realize he was missing his ring until he got to the locker room. I thought it was gone. I was like, Its over with, Shorts said. He just happened to be checking his Twitter account Tuesday night, the players day off, when he saw a message from Ortega.I was like, Oh wow. Thank you! Shorts said. That was kind of him. I thought that was pretty cool. ... He told me, I know what it means. I dont want [anything] from you, just so I can give you the ring back.All Ortega wanted to do was tthe right thing.dddddddddddd He ended up making a special friend out of it.I knew what the sentimental value behind it meant, and thats what motivated me the most to give it back to him, Ortega said. I was just surprised that he did that. I then introduced him to my dad and he told me how thankful he was. He said I saved him from his wife!It meant so much to me, especially of how big of a fan I am of the team and entire organization, said Ortega, who coaches high school and youth football and has traveled to countless Bucs?home and away games, no matter where his service has taken him. Hes currently part of the 927th Air Refueling Wing and has been deployed to the Middle East three times.He even flew an American flag in honor of two longtime Buccaneers players -- Gerald McCoy and Vincent Jackson?-- during a mission last year.Those flags flew over Afghanistan and Iraq 37 times together, Ortega said. Every single combat flight during my deployment.Shorts said he wants to come visit Ortegas teams. Ortega thinks Shorts could really impact Ortegas high school players.It speaks volumes to what type of person he is, Ortega said. He is a professional athlete whos always busy, especially during the season, and hes willing to spend some of his free time to talk to the kids who look up to people like him, who want to be like him. ' ' '