Freude » to pass the basketball and her ability to see the floor, Mic

CINCINNATI -- Bartolo Colon got an early start on New Yorks trip to Cincinnati, and it paid off in a big way for the Mets.Colon pitched six innings of five-hit ball and Matt Reynolds homered to the lead the Mets to a 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.We had a man on the mound today, New York manager Terry Collins said. Nothing fazes him. Gave us what he always does, quality innings. Hes an amazing guy.Colon (13-7) improved to 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his last seven starts. The Reds put a runner on third with nobody out on two occasions, and Colon wiggled out of the jam each time.Kelly Johnson also went deep as the Mets won for the sixth time in eight games. It was New Yorks 12th straight victory over Cincinnati.The Mets remained one game back of St. Louis for the second NL wild card after the Cardinals won 12-6 at sliding Pittsburgh.New York had a short turnaround after a 5-1 victory over Washington on Sunday night, arriving in Cincinnati early Monday morning. Four regulars -- outfielders Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes and infielders Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabera -- were out of the starting lineup.But the 43-year-old Colon got plenty of rest after traveling to Cincy on Sunday.Never had any pressure at all. I knew a lot of the veterans were getting a day off today, Colon said through a translator. Getting ahead of the hitters was key for me.Jay Bruce went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first game in Cincinnati since the Reds traded him to the Mets on Aug. 1.It was a bit odd, coming over to the visiting side for the first time, Bruce said. Definitely odd being on the other side, but once the first pitch is thrown, its just baseball.Robert Stephenson, one of Cincinnatis top prospects, struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs and six hits, but fell short in his bid to become the first Cincinnati pitcher since Wayne Simpson in 1970 to win each of his first three major league starts.The 23-year-old Stephenson (2-1), who beat Philadelphia and Colorado in a pair of spot starts in April, said feels less pressure in the majors than he did in the minor leagues.Its just confidence, he said. Im not trying to get back to this level. Im already here. Now Im just trying to have fun.Reynolds, recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas before the game, hit his third homer of the season with one out in the third inning. He also had an RBI single in New Yorks three-run seventh and finished with three hits.Reynolds checked into the Mets Cincinnati hotel at 9:15 Monday morning after flying all night from Salt Lake City.Its everything I can ask for, Reynolds said. I just want to help the team win. It just happened I had a couple of big hits.Johnson led off the fifth with his 10th homer.The Mets have hit 18 home runs in their last 11 games at Great American Ball Park and 185 overall this season for their best total since the 2006 team set the franchise record with 200.GRACIOUS HOSTSThe Reds honored Bruce and his wife, Hannah, in a pregame ceremony for his contributions to the team on the field and the couples work in the community during his nearly nine seasons with Cincinnati.AMBITIOUSNew Yorks Wilmer Flores was thrown out by left fielder Adam Duvall trying to stretch hits in each of his first two at bats, at second in the first inning and at third in the fourth. Duvall is the first Cincinnati outfielder with two assists in one game since Bruce on Aug. 5, 2014, at Cleveland, according to the Reds.DOUBLE TROUBLEAfter tying their season high by hitting into four double plays in a 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Sunday, the Reds hit into double plays in each of the first two innings on Monday against the Mets.TRAINERS ROOMReds: 2B Brandon Phillips returned to the starting lineup after being scratched each of the previous two days with a sore left foot.UP NEXTMets RHP Rafael Montero (0-0) and Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan (8-10) are scheduled to start on Tuesday. Finnegan has limited opposing batters to a .132 average (9 for 68) over his last three starts. Myydään Nike Huarache . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Nike Huarache Ale . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.airforce1suomi.com/ . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Air Force 1 Lv8 Halvalla . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nike Air Force 1 Low Suomi . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before her first appearance for Ohio State in a competitive setting, albeit only a closed-door scrimmage against Louisville in October, Stephanie Mavunga experienced a moment of uncertainty. She looked to her teammates for an answer as the tip approached.They were playing the game in quarters, right?Change is in the details. A transfer from North Carolina, Mavunga sat out the 2015-16 season, the first to utilize quarters. She assured teammates who were both amused and incredulous that she had paid attention the previous season. But, you know, the world looks a bit different from the court.My teammates were laughing at me, Mavunga said.With Ohio State the most notable participant in a phenomenon of player movement, the college basketball season might turn on how comfortably the Buckeyes adjust to a whole lot of change.Ohio State has arguably the nations best player in junior Kelsey Mitchell. The supporting cast was already far from barren, but transfers Mavunga, Sierra Calhoun and Linnae Harper create what on paper looks like a super team as capable as any of stepping into the void left by the departure of Connecticuts senior class and its four national titles.Keeping Mitchell in the state was the first building block, and as Ohio State coach Kevin McGuffs fourth season begins, for the first time, a championship is a realistic objective.It was partly everybody was kind of looking at it [as] UConn and everybody else, McGuff said. And then we were still trying to add the right pieces to where I felt like we had the balance inside-out and the depth to do something like that. Now I think we have the pieces in place.Its obviously extremely difficult to do, but I feel like were one of the teams that have got enough talent and depth and balance that we could make a run at the national championship.The conundrum is that rarely -- maybe never -- has a team with so much proven talent provided so little evidence of how the pieces fit together. Calhoun, Harper, Mavunga and Mitchell have played a combined six and a half college seasons. We know they are excellent. Yet none has played an official college game with any of the others.We got a lot of chemistry-building to do, Mitchell said. Weve got a lot of growing to do, as far as knowing what people can do and what they cant do, where theyre most comfortable and where theyre most uncomfortable. I think its a growing stage for us.Ohio State is not alone in conducting an experiment under these conditions. Once novelties for elite programs, high-profile transfers are rapidly becoming commonplace. When South Carolina visits Columbus on Monday, the Gamecocks will have both Allisha Gray, Mavungas former teammate at North Carolina, and Kaela Davis at their disposal. Baylor is a title favorite in large part because Alexis Jones is settling into her second season in Waco after starting at Duke. That is the same Duke that hopes transfer Lexie Brown can help it bounce back from a disappointing season that ended with Azura Stevens transferring to Connecticut, where she will sit out this season.Why there is so much movement remains a topic of debate. Systemic answers range from a sense of entitlement among a generation raised in the often maligned AAU culture to the increasing empowerment of student-athletes to reject dictatorial coaches.Each player has her own story. Mavunga said she had no regrets about choosing North Carolina or spending two seasons in Chapel Hill and that being so far from her home in Indiana forced her to mature. She said she just didnt feel tthe program, which saw most of her recruiting class transfer, was the best place for her to keep growing.ddddddddddddThe larger debate will continue. That movement is the new reality isnt up for discussion.I think were going to keep seeing it, McGuff said. Its just hard. I think were in a generation when [if] expectations arent met quickly, then kids move on to the next thing. Its not always bad. Its not always bad at all. Ive had plenty of transfers come in, and Ive had some come out. Its just the way it is and every program is. I dont think thats going away anytime soon.The corresponding reality is that programs must incorporate new moving parts alongside returning players and incoming freshmen. Ohio State must do so three times over.Last we saw her, Mavunga averaged 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game for the Tar Heels. She gives the Buckeyes a true back-to-the-basket post presence to pair with Alexa Harts shot-blocking athleticism. Harper, who will be eligible for the Buckeyes at the end of the fall semester, was a defensive and rebounding standout for Kentucky two seasons ago and the most-used sub on a United States Pan-Am roster that included the likes of Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. Ranked 16th in her recruiting class by ESPN HoopGurlz, Calhoun started and averaged 10 points per game as a freshman at Duke. Then she left the team at midseason.On top of that, Ohio State added a well-regarded freshman class headlined by 6-foot-4 Tori McCoy, a prep All-American ranked among the top-10 recruits. That leaves the matter of chemistry. To those who believe teams that play well get along well, Mitchell remains the key figure. After leading the nation in scoring as a freshman, she averaged 26.1 points per game as a sophomore. Although a commendably efficient scorer, she attempted 1,308 field goals and 447 free throws in her first two seasons, in each case more than a quarter of the teams total. Yet not just her coach but also some of those who lose sleep about trying to slow her down think she is suited to the task at hand and that the most prolific soloist in the country can be the conductor of a multipiece ensemble.I think one of her greatest strengths, and well find out this year because shes surrounded by a lot of really great players, is her ability to pass the basketball and her ability to see the floor, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. I think a lot of people see her as a pure scorer because thats what shes had to do for her team the last couple of years. But Ive seen her pass the ball, and she has vision as great as anyone Ive ever seen.For their part, as Mitchell alluded to, the Buckeyes seem to believe that a team plays well when it already has chemistry and common purpose.As talented as UConns been, theyve kind of out-cultured everybody for years, McGuff said. We had to make a lot of progress in that area, and were working on it.That ultimately comes down to the people involved. The transfers arent strangers. All were around a season ago. But like playing by quarters for the first time, its a different experience. Its about Mitchell learning that she and Harper are similarly soft-spoken and that the gregarious Mavunga is not.Different roads led them all to Columbus. Only one road will lead them to Dallas, host of the 2017 Final Four.Im still learning a lot about each and every one of them, Mitchell said. But I wouldnt want them anywhere else. ' ' '