er joining his wife in Texas for the birth of their first child Monday, declined to blame any distractions for his per

The NHL has once again said no - for the time being - to selling prime space on team jerseys to sponsors, a move the league estimates would generate at least $120 million. During a recent meeting of NHL team presidents in New York, league officials estimated they might raise $4 million per team by allowing corporate sponsors to put their logos front and centre on jerseys, a person familiar with the matter told TSN. "Gary (Bettman) and owners like the money, but they dont want to be first out of the box with this in North America," the person told TSN. "Theyll wait for the NBA or baseball to do it and then be second or third." The NHL, like other mainstream North American sports, to this point has resisted breaking with tradition, even though NHL jerseys already carry advertising since jersey maker Reeboks logo is so prominent. Major League Baseball may have been the first major North American sports league to consider the money-generating move. In 1999, MLB considered putting logos on the sleeves of player uniforms, but commissioner Bud Selig said no. As recently as 2012, the NBA made up mock Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls jerseys with sponsor logos in place of the Celtics and Bulls names on the front. The NBA ultimately decided against the move. Sports marketing experts say a corporate presence on NHL jerseys is inevitable. Traditions change, after all. The NBA abandoned short shorts and the NHL, too, has tinkered with its uniforms through the years, at times allowing teams to wear white skates and long hockey pants called Cooperalls that ran from the waists of players to their ankles. "The AHL added patched in the late 1980s and it really wasnt a big deal," said Bob Stellick, a former Toronto Maple Leafs marketing official whose clients have included McDonalds and the Royal Bank of Canada. "Look at English soccer or TFC. They ask people to purchase jerseys with a huge BMO logo and it doesnt seem to be a deterrent." Some NHL teams already feature corporate ads on practice jerseys. "Its inevitable but will be perceived as a sell out and weakness by the first North American league to do so," said Brian Cooper, president of S&E Sponsorship Group. "Even though English Premier League, Nascar and Euro hockey have done it. Its the blatant commercialization of sport. Its almost too close to the heart of sport." An NHL spokesman declined to comment. During the meeting of NHL team presidents, NHL executive John Collins, who has fostered the leagues popular outdoor games, discussed plans to use technology to sell rink board ads in a different way. The so-called erase and replace rink boards feature ads that can be replaced on TV, meaning the NHL can sell region-specific ads to advertisers. An NHL final could feature rink boards with Swedish ads for viewers in Stockholm, or Cyrillic ads for those in Russia. The Philadelphia Flyers discussed the possibility of adding more ads on the ice surface, and league officials discussed ways to generate more revenue from jersey sales, which have been relatively flat in recent years. Reeboks jersey contract with the NHL expires in 2016, and companies including Bauer and Under Armour are expected to pursue a new deal with the NHL, several sources told TSN. The team presidents also heard from several clubs including the New York Rangers who are planning to use jerseys this year that have computer chips built in. The chips will allow teams to more accurately track a players speed and movements on the ice for use in advanced statistical analysis. Some NHL players have reconciled the prospect of ads on jerseys. In 2008, a group of influential NHL players that includes New Jerseys Martin Brodeur, Dallass Marty Turco, Detroits Dominik Hasek and Edmontons Dwayne Roloson urged the NHL to alter league uniforms, perhaps starting first with goalie jerseys. "When you can add additional revenue, it creates options," said Ritch Winter, an Edmonton player agent who worked on the goalies efforts. "It doesnt have to start with ads on every jersey. Maybe you have a third jersey or maybe ads are just on goalie jerseys. Whats wrong with a new tradition? The majority of immigrants to North America come from Europe and Africa and Asia, where they are used to seeing ads on jerseys. Is Manchester Uniteds jersey any less popular around the world than the New York Yankees jersey?" In professional leagues throughout Europe, player uniforms are covered in ads. When former Leafs star Doug Gilmour played in Switzerland during the 1994-95 lockout, he was reportedly asked by his team to put advertising stickers on the shaft of his hockey stick. Once, when he skated out for a pre-game warm-up, a team trainer asked him to adjust his socks to make a sponsors logo more prominent. The introduction of ads on arena rink boards in the late 1970s was a turning point for the NHLs ties to corporate North America. The Minnesota North Stars were the first franchise to debut rink board ads, selling eight pairs at $3,000 a pair. Cooper and other marketers said the money may be too rich for the NHL to resist for long. In the English Premier League, teams are expected this season to reap a collective $341 million worth of jersey sponsorships, the London Independent newspaper reported. In a new deal with Chevrolet, Manchester United will bring in $84 million a season, more than double the $35 million the team got during the previous season from the insurance company Aon. Its worth noting that soccer uniforms havent always been emblazoned with ads. In 1976, a soccer team in Kettering, England, became the first in British soccer to compete in a game with a sponsors logo, Kettering Tyres, on their jerseys. Britains Football Association demanded the corporate logo be removed from the team uniform and TV networks refused until 1983 to show teams wearing uniforms with corporate logos. That resistance eventually disappeared. Cheap Coyotes Jerseys China . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Cheap Adidas Coyotes Jerseys . -- Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of a back injury. http://www.cheapcoyotesjerseys.com/ . Or at least on everyone elses expectations. Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process. Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Authentic . Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. Cheap Coyotes Jerseys . "You hate when they score," he said with some distaste at the thought. "You take pride in it. MIAMI -- Jake Arrieta made it look easy, then made it sound easy. The Chicago Cubs right-hander had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings to beat the Miami Marlins 6-1 on Wednesday. Arrieta (3-1) lowered his ERA to 1.98, and he has 55 strikeouts in 50 innings. "Im not doing anything different," he said. "Im just commanding everything down in the strike zone and trying to force early contact. Strikeouts are just a byproduct of throwing several plus pitches for strikes." Arrieta has become one of the few bright spots for the last-place Cubs, although they have been playing better lately. By taking the rubber game of the three-game set, they won consecutive road series for the first time since June 2013. Chicago went 5-5 on a three-city swing. "We had a nice trip," manager Rick Renteria said. "Thats big. Were playing some consistent baseball." Miamis Giancarlo Stanton hit his NL-leading 20th homer in the first but left the game after six innings with a bruised left wrist. Stanton said the injury wasnt serious, and he expected to be back in the lineup Thursday against the New York Mets. But his wrist was swollen and bothered him more as the game progressed. "It was getting tighter and tighter," he said. "On swings and misses, it hurts a lot." Stanton hasnt missed a game this season, and he leads the NL in homers and RBIs with 57. Thats why manager Mike Redmond took no chances with the injury. "We need this guy for the long haul," Redmond said. "He wanted to stay in, but Im thinking about tomorrow and the next day." Stanton was hurt when he hit the wall in the first inning chasing a flyball. Nate Schierholtz hit a three-run homer for the Cubs. Starlin Castro had two RBI doubles and single batting cleanup. "I like batting fourth because there are usually runners on base," Castro said. "I just like that they put me in a spot and leave me there. If they keep moving me around, it breaks my concentration." Arrieta allowed five hits and one walk. He also doubled for his first career extra-base hit, but Renteria was more impressed with his pitching.dddddddddddd Arrieta has 27 strikeouts in 20 innings over his past three starts. "I think he is commanding his fastball better, and his breaking ball is starting to get some bite and location," Renteria said. "Hes got great stuff, and hes very composed." The Marlins agreed. "He was using his cutter in good spots and staying on the corners," Stanton said. "He did a good job." Schierholtz was in a 3-for-26 slump before he hit his third homer off Nathan Eovaldi (4-3) in the Cubs four-run sixth. Eovaldi, back from paternity leave after joining his wife in Texas for the birth of their first child Monday, declined to blame any distractions for his performance. "Youve got to be able to come back and perform," he said. "If anything, I was excited to get back to the guys and play." NOTES: The Marlins plan to recall RHP Kevin Gregg from Triple-A New Orleans on Thursday, and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (concussion) will be activated from the disabled list. To make room for them, the Marlins optioned LHP Dan Jennings to New Orleans and optioned C J.T. Realmuto to Double-A Jacksonville. ... Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade sat next to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria in the second row and drew a big ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard. ... LHP Randy Wolf, who was designed for assignment Monday by the Marlins, opted for free agency. ... A Marlins promotion for disadvantaged children boosted attendance to 27,032. ... Marlins RHP Steve Cishek turned 28 Wednesday. Cubs OF Chris Coghlan turned 29. ... Cubs starters have allowed 32 homers, fewest in the majors. ... When torrential rain with wind gusts of up to 53 mph hit during Tuesdays game, the Marlins retractable roof leaked in six or seven places, which was to be expected given the severity of the storm, team president David Samson said. ... Marlins LHP Andrew Heaney makes his major-league debut Thursday against the New York Mets and RHP Zack Wheeler (2-7, 4.38). ... The Cubs open a series at home Friday when Edwin Jackson (4-7, 5.11) pitches against Pittsburghs Charlie Morton (4-7, 3.09). 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