Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Cheap Nike Shoes From China .ca. Kerry, In the closing minutes of the second period of Game 4 between Pittsburgh and Columbus there were the remnants of two broken sticks behind the Pittsburgh net. The official in that zone didnt pick up any of the pieces even when the play went deep in the Columbus end. I know he has other responsibilities, but it would only take a couple seconds to gather the sticks up and remove them from play. Ive seen other times where a ref does pick up a broken stick while the game is still in play and dumps it to the nearest players bench. So why do broken sticks sometimes get picked up but not other times? Personal choice or something else going on? Louis Frlan III Louis:You are correct in your assertion that the ref has other (more important) responsibilities with play in progress; particularly to watch for the presence of a penalty infraction; which by the way I would like to see called more consistently! If any debris (broken stick) or lost equipment (glove, helmet) can be easily accessed, most refs will pick up the obstacle(s) and discard them or return them to the players bench or penalty box as they pass by in the normal flow of action. I did this whenever I was able to do it "safely". An objective of every referee is to sustain game flow. In picking up debris I applied referee rule No. 1 - common sense and foresight! From a safety issue there is potential (no matter how slight) for a player to step on a broken stick and crash into the boards or fall awkwardly thereby sustaining a needless injury. With an eye toward the potential for bad things to happen, I was always concerned that a player would shoot a broken stick in the direction of the puck or puck carrier which could result in an interference infraction or the assessment of a penalty shot. I could prevent any opportunity for these things to occur by picking up the debris with a quick swoop whenever the play dictated. The refs are cautioned about being distracted through picking up broken sticks that could result in missing something elsewhere. For this reason some refs just arent comfortable veering their focus away from the play. I can appreciate that fact and it is their personal choice, Louis. The debris behind and around the Penguins net on this play however was an accident waiting to happen. Play continued for one minute and 30 seconds after Brooks Orpiks stick was slashed hard by RJ Umberger and broken in half below the goal line at the side of the net which allowed Columbus to gain puck possession (no penalty call but deserved). On the other side of the net the remnants of Sidney Crosbys broken stick eventually provided additional obstacles for players to maneuver around. The Blue Jackets applied puck pressure for 10 seconds before the Pens safely dumped the puck into the Columbus end zone. This would have been a prime opportunity for the referee on the Pittsburgh goal line to safely swoop in and collect the trash. Until the play was finally stopped when the same referee called a tripping penalty to Matt Niskanen, the Penguins had sustained puck possession throughout the neutral zone and into the Blue Jackets end for extended periods. Another primary missed opportunity for the ref to play pick up the sticks took place when a Blue Jackets dump-in was retrieved by Niskanen. Matt set up behind the Pens goal and led an uncontested breakout after contacting one broken shaft with his skate and avoiding the others as he carried the puck out of Jackets end zone. The ref could have easily followed behind Niskanen, bent down while looking at the play with his head up and quickly gathered the sticks but obviously wasnt comfortable in doing so. Twenty seconds later the Blue Jackets attacked and play forced the referee to skate backwards behind the Penguins net. The ref maneuvered through the obstacle field bumping into and stepping over portions of broken sticks, as did the players, until Niskanen tripped Brandon Dubinsky to stop play. While it makes good sense for a referee not to forsake his primary duties by going out of his way to become a trash collector, I believe that "common sense" should be applied to remove obstacles when the opportunity is safely presented. Nike Shoes From China Online . -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night. Nike Shoes From China . Anor had not scored since getting his first two goals of the season vs. Philadelphia on March 22 but struck with laser precision from distance in the 56th and 75th minutes. Montreal (3-10-5) lost its third straight and Impact coach Frank Klopas said it literally was a case of his players not stepping up. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/ . At least 90 players who had college eligibility remaining are expected to enter the draft, shattering last years record number of 73. "Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres have not always pitched tough in tight situations this season. The last two games, however, the Padres have been resolute. Chris Denorfia hit a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning and San Diegos bullpen was stingy with runners on base, leading the Padres to a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. San Diego held the Giants to just three hits in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 base runners. In their 4-1 win on Monday, the Padres left nine San Francisco runners stranded, holding the Giants to 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. "Weve been off the mark for most of the year," Padres manager Bud Black said. "But the last couple of (games), weve been able to make the pitches when we needed to." San Francisco threatened in each of the last four innings, but relievers Tim Stauffer (3-1), Luke Gregerson and closer Huston Street all pitched out of trouble. "Its been an issue for a while," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "It reared its head again." Giants catcher Buster Posey was pinch hit for in the seventh after he ripped a nail on the ring finger of his right hand on a wild pitch thrown by Madison Bumgarner in the sixth inning. Posey shook his right hand after Bumgarners pitch in the dirt and spent a couple of minutes being attended to by a trainer before he stayed in the game and completed the inning. "(The pitch) may have hit the lip of home plate," said Posey, the reigning NL MVP. "I can throw the ball fine, but I really didnt try to grip the bat." Stauffer relieved starter Robbie Erlin in the sixth with one out and runners on first and second, nursing a 2-1 lead. Although Stauffer allowed an RBI single to Joaquin Arias, he escaped further damage by striking out two straight batters to end the inning. The right-hander then allowed a leadoff triple by Angel Pagan in the seventh before retiring three straight. "Just trying to make some pitches and get one guy at a time and try not to throw anything out over the plate that they can flip to the outfield," Stauffer said. "Luckily, I was able to get a couple of popups and a strikeout. I think it was a momentum shift that kindd of helped. Wholesale Nike Shoes From China. " Said Erlin: "I kind of left him a tough spot there. He minimized the damage for me and did a great job." Gregerson allowed consecutive two-out singles in the eighth before striking out pinch hitter Roger Kieschnick. Street gave up Brandon Belts two-out double before getting Hector Sanchez to ground out to end the game. Nick Hundley drew a leadoff walk in the seventh from rookie reliever Jake Dunning, who was called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Fresno. Ronnie Cedeno followed with a single to send Hundley to third and bring on reliever Javier Lopez. Denorfia lined a 1-2 pitch to left for the single that broke a 2-all tie. Dunning (0-2), who made his major league debut in June, took the loss. Stauffer threw 1 2-3 innings of shutout ball. Street pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 27 chances. Defending World Series champion San Francisco (61-77) dropped into last place in the NL West, one game behind San Diego. Pagan had a single, double and triple heading into his final at-bat in the ninth when he struck out. San Diego took a 2-0 lead in the fifth following a leadoff double by Kyle Blanks and Hundleys one-out double. After Cedeno was walked intentionally, Erlin drove in the second run with a bloop single. It was Erlins first major league hit and RBI. The Giants tied it in the sixth. After consecutive singles by Belt and Posey to start the inning, Pedro Sandoval and Arias followed with consecutive RBI singles with one out. Bumgarner lasted six innings and gave up two runs and five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Since the All-Star break, Bumgarner has just one winning decision in nine starts. The left-hander is 1-4 with a 2.67 ERA in that span. Erlin allowed two runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked two. NOTES: San Francisco RHP Heath Hembree made his major league debut with one inning of perfect relief. ... Padres rookie RHP Burch Smith will start on Friday against Colorado. Smith, who was recalled from Triple-A Tucson on Monday, is 0-1 with an 18.41 ERA in three starts earlier this season with San Diego . ... Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (8-13, 4.38 ERA) opposes Padres LHP Eric Stults (8-12, 3.81) in the series finale Wednesday. ' ' '