Offtopic/fun » time I hit my tee shot on the second hole, I had alre

BALTIMORE -- The song remains the same for the Baltimore Orioles heading into the final contest of a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.Simply put, the Orioles need to keep winning as theyre in the midst of a battle for the American League East title and/or a wild-card berth. Even though Tampa Bay is out of the playoff picture, the Rays have not been making things easy for the Orioles or any of the other contenders theyve faced.The Orioles have lost two of the first three in this series, and the spotlight and pressure remains on Baltimore. The Orioles are three games behind the Red Sox in the East after Saturdays 5-2 loss and are tied with Toronto at the top of the wild-card race, three games clear of Detroit, Houston and Seattle.At this point in time of the year you need every W you can get, Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones said. I think we have 14 left and at this point you cant give games away.Wade Miley starts for the Orioles on Sunday, and hes struggled since the team acquired him from Seattle at the trade deadline. The left-hander is 1-5 with an 8.41 ERA in eight starts since coming to Baltimore, and the Orioles need more from him.Tampa Bay sends right-hander Jake Odorizzi (9-6, 3.81) to the mound. Hes been solid in the second half, going 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA since the All-Star Game, and is the kind of pitcher that gives Baltimore trouble at times.Baltimores been battling a number of injury problems lately. Mark Trumbo missed the first two games because of back spasms but the Orioles are hoping hell be back Sunday, and set-up man Darren ODay could return from the disabled list by Monday when the Orioles start a big four-game series with Boston.The Rays (64-84) are a very young team thats already been eliminated from the playoffs and will finish with a losing record.Still, theyve got a number of games against good teams late in the season. They have played 29 consecutive games against teams better than .500 and within four games of a playoff spot and posted a 14-15 record.Even though theyre out of it, Evan Longoria still sees playing games like this late in the season as a learning tool for the young Rays.I think whether youre the team that needs to win to get to the playoffs or youre the team thats just playing the team that needs to win, everybody feels the same sort of anxiety and especially when the games are close, Longoria said. We can definitely use that as a growing moment.Said manager Kevin Cash: Theyve played really good baseball in the environments we anticipated that we were going to be coming into. Couldnt be more pleased with them. Alex Okafor Super Bowl Jersey . 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. Darrel Williams Super Bowl Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. http://www.officialkcchiefspro.com/Morris-claiborne-chiefs-jersey/ . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Xavier Williams Super Bowl Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Sammy Watkins Super Bowl Jersey . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. NASSAU, Bahamas -- If we had to choose the precise moment Thursday when Tiger Woods really started resembling the Tiger of the good ol days, it wouldnt be the opening drive that found the left rough between two bunkers. It wouldnt be the brilliant chip on the par-5 third that led to his first birdie in 466 days. It wouldnt even be his third birdie of the day, on the seventh hole, the product of a laser-beam approach shot and no-doubt-about-it putt that barely elicited a grin.No, the moment he truly started evoking memories of the guy whos won 14 major championships occurred on the next tee, the par-3 eighth, when his impact through the ball was immediately followed by one of his first audible exhortations during the round.One yard! he shouted, a command he often gave when he was hitting his best shots.The ball listened, nestling just a few feet from the hole en route to a fourth birdie and a share of the lead.Thats when some combination of Woods rustiness and the omnipotent golf gods forced him to collectively pump the brakes during his return engagement to competitive golf.You could insist he appeared very much like a different Tiger of old when he failed to get a delicate chip onto the surface from just left of the ninth green. And when he played army golf on the 11th, after a pulled tee shot left and a pushed second shot right led to a swipe at the turf with his club and an unplayable lie penalty stroke. And again when he hooked his drive on the final hole into the adjacent water hazard, then slammed the driver into the ground before carding his second double-bogey in three holes.By the time hed finished, Woods had turned a 4 under start and share of the lead into a 1-over 73 that left him in 17th place in the 18-man Hero World Challenge field.I just made some really silly mistakes, mistakes I dont normally make, Woods said, before reminding himself as much as anyone else, but I havent played in a while.This was a textbook round for someone who hadnt played in a while: Make a few nervy pars just to ease away the tension; ride the wave of adrenaline up the leaderboard; get overtaken by fatigue down the stretch.If we needed further proof, though, of WWoods return to familiarity, it came after the round, when he wouldnt acquiesce to that last observation.dddddddddddd.He was asked a reasonable question about whether hed run out of gas before making those two doubles.I wouldnt say that, he offered. I just made some mistakes.He was asked a similar question about whether he incurred issues with stamina and again wouldnt relent.No, no, not that, he argued. I just made a couple of mistakes out there.This was classic Tiger, who for years has made a practice of debunking even the simplest opinions of his game. Consider it evidence that the new normal for him might still be pretty normal.Score and result notwithstanding, that should be a main takeaway from Thursdays round. He wasnt doubled over with back pain, nor was he chunking uncomplicated chip shots. The truth is, if you didnt know he was a 14-time major champion and didnt know he was returning from a lengthy layoff, he appeared very much like any other professional golfer playing any round of golf.How quickly I fell into the competitive mode and I felt the feel of the round, Woods said when asked what he was most pleased about. By the time I hit my tee shot on the second hole, I had already gotten into the flow of the round. Thats something that for me, when Ive taken layoffs and taken breaks, its how quickly can I find the feel of the round. Its good to be able to play [for the first time] in, what, 15, 16 months and get it on the second hole.The other takeaway is that this round should provide cautious optimism moving forward. Critical analysis aside, his return to competitive golf should be viewed through a positive prism.Woods often talks about the process. Well, hes only going to get stronger and more comfortable moving forward. This should be seen as a terrific first step in that process.Earlier this week, as a few reporters chatted up Woods on the range here at Albany Golf Club, he struck shot after shot, then finally turned to them and quipped, Im not dead yet.On Thursday, the rest of the world got to see that, too. ' ' '