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up to the majors on Sept. 6 and remained with the Twins for the rest of the season. He earned nearly one month of pay at the MLB minim
Wisconsin faces an early elimination game against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.The No. 8 Badgers are rested after a bye week and, after a seven-point loss to Michigan, Wisconsin could be scratched off the contender list for the College Football Playoff at midseason with a second defeat.Ohio State has become so accustomed to success that a 21-point win for the Buckeyes can be framed as only a moderate success.Such was the case after second-ranked Ohio States 38-17 win over Indiana on Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes were good, but not as good as they had been in their first four games of the season.The Buckeyes will file away the victory and move on to a more formidable challenge on Saturday (8 p.m., ABC) in a Big Ten showdown at No. 8 Wisconsin, which had a bye last week after losing for the first time this season the previous week at No. 4 Michigan in a hard-fought 14-7 decision.The Hoosiers came ready to play and challenged the Buckeyes for much of the afternoon, but in the end they couldnt match Ohio States superior talent.For the first time this season, Ohio State didnt move the ball as efficiently as it had done against the likes of Oklahoma and Rutgers. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was limited to 93 yards passing, completing just 9 of 21 throws, and was forced to run 26 times for 137 yards to help the offense get some traction against Indiana.The Buckeyes game plan was to hit some deep balls to loosen up the Hoosiers defense, but Barrett either misfired, receivers ran bad routes or the coverage blanketed his wideouts, forcing his excessive number of runs. He also faced some pressure from the Indiana pass rush that the offensive line at times found difficult to contain.Were going to go to the drawing board and clean it up next week, Ohio State freshman running back Mike Weber said. Eliminate (mistakes) and get bigger wins.Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, though, isnt going to worry too much about Barrett taking off with the ball considering his dynamic playmaking ability thats reminiscent of Braxton Miller a few years ago.Ill tell you, its part of playing quarterback in this offense. Youre one of the best players in the country, were going to play you and use you and do what you do well, Meyer said. Were aware of (the number of rushes) and have to be somewhat intelligent about how we do it, but go win the game.Meanwhile, the defense continues to play at a high level. Ohio State forced two turnovers, including safety Malik Hookers fourth interception of the season, and made some key stops. The biggest was a stop inside the 5-yard line in the second half with Indiana threatening to make it a seven-point game.The Buckeyes realize they have to play better this week than they did against Indiana.Outstanding. The typical Wisconsin, Meyer said. I think it goes back to (former) Coach (Barry) Alvarez and what hes built up there. I think Coach (Paul) Chryst ... I can push play and see its one of the best coached teams in the United States of America. Very good players. They have their niche.Playing at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison is never easy. The fans are hostile and Wisconsin will be gunning to knock off Ohio State, which lost there as recently as 2010.Wisconsin is in the midst of the rigorous part of its Big Ten schedule. Coming off a bye week after the tough loss at Michigan and facing the prime-time matchup with Ohio State on Saturday, the Badgers travel to Iowa the following week and then return home to face Nebraska.I think were all excited (to face Ohio State at night), Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook said. Its going to be an awesome atmosphere here at night in front of our fans. I cant wait to play.Hornibrook, a first-year starter, will have his work cut out for him against the Ohio State defense, which is ranked in the top 10 statistically in every major category. He had trouble against Michigan, completing just 9 of 25 passes for 88 yards and threw three interceptions.This will be another new challenge, a new experience for him, Chryst said. But Im very confident that hell be himself and thats a good thing.Wisconsin is known for its smash-mouth style featuring outstanding running backs in recent years such as Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon. But the Badgers are eighth in the Big Ten in rushing at 161.6 yards per game and the Buckeyes are No. 2 in the conference defending the run, which means Wisconsin could have trouble establishing a ground game.It is a good scheme, sound, Chryst said of Ohio States defense. And theyve got guys that play it well. And I think they are playing with confidence.Defensively, the Badgers get after opponents. In the loss to Michigan, their defense neutralized a Wolverines offense that piled up 77 points against Rutgers last week. Wisconsin held Michigan to one touchdown until the fourth quarter when the Wolverines scored the winning points.Theyre outstanding. Theyre what theyve been, Meyer said. Its amazing that theyve had coach transition. Theyve changed defensive coordinators and its a very similar defense. Its Wisconsins defense. I like that. I like the fact that we change coordinators on offense, its Ohio States offense, so Wisconsin youve got to give the leadership a lot of credit. One of the best teams in America. Custom Penguins Jersey China .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Custom Paul Martin Jersey . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. http://www.custompenguinsjersey.com/ . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Paul Martin Jersey Large . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Cheap Custom Penguins Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Steven Adams just watched his financial future become a whole lot brighter.The fourth-year big man from New Zealand signed a four-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly worth $100 million. Thats approximately $139 million in New Zealand and $130 million in Australia.Adams emerged as a core player for the Thunder with a strong postseason performance in 2015-16, and the team will rely on him to play an even bigger role this season. The extension allows the Thunder to lock up Adams through the 2020-21 season and keeps him from hitting the open market as a restricted free agent next summer.This got us thinking about the top earners among Aussie and Kiwi athletes in American team sports. Heres the hierarchy, based on estimated earnings for the current season:Andrew Bogut, Dallas Mavericks, NBA$11 million US - $14.4 million AU - $15.4 million NZThe former No. 1 overall draft pick from Melbourne turns 32 later this month, and hes in the final year of a three-year, $36 million pact he originally signed with Golden State. Bogut is the NBAs all-time leader in scoring and rebounding among Australian players. He eclipsed the $100 million (US) mark in career earnings in 2015-16 and was traded to Dallas during the offseason.Matthew Dellavedova, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA$9.6 million US - $12.5 million AU - $13.4 million NZDelly signed a four-year, $38 million pact with Milwaukee after winning the NBA championship with Cleveland last season. If the early results are any indication, he is on his way to establishing career highs in minutes, points and assists this season. The fourth-year pro from Maryborough, Victoria, is the career scoring leader at Saint Marys College in California.Aron Baynes, Detroit Pistons, NBA$6.5 million US - $8.5 million AU - $9.1 million NZThe 6-foot-10 big man, who was born in Gisborne, New Zealand, but grew up in Cairns, Queensland, is in the second season of a three-year, $20 million deal with Detroit. He began his career with three seasons in San Antonio, where he and Australian guard Patty Mills helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship.Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA$5.9 million US - $7.7 million AU - $8.2 million NZThe rookie out of LSU has yet to make his NBA debut because of a foot injury, but Simmons will earn nearly $6 million this season after being drafted No. 1 overall by Philadelphia. Simmons, who grew up in Newcastle, New South Wales, is recovering from surgery and is expected to miss a few more months of action before taking the court for the 76ers.Dante Exum, Utah Jazz, NBA$3.9 million US - $5.1 million AU - $5.4 million NZThe 6-foot-6 guard from Melbourne was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, and hes paid as such. Exum is back on the court for the Jazz this season after missing all of 2015-16 with a torn ACL. Utah recently exercised its team option to retain him next season for $5 million.Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs, NBA$3.6 million US - $4.7 million AU - $5 million NZThe 6-foot, 185-pound guard from Canberra preceded Dellavedova at Saint Marys and was drafted in the second round by Portland in 2009. Mills joined the Spurs in 2011 and is now in the final season of a three-year, $13 million contract with San Antonio. Now playing in his eighth pro season, Mills trails only Bogut (11 seasons) and Luc Longley (10 seasons) in terms of NBA career longevity among Australians.Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA$3.1 million U.S. - $4.1 million AU - $4.4 million NZUntil Adams new deal kicks in next season, he will have to scrape by on this salary, based on the team option the Thunder picked up in October 2015. Adams, who grew up in Rotorua and Wellington, will be only 28 when his recently signed extension expires in 2021, at which point an even more lucrative payday is possible.Brad Wing, New York Giants, NFL$2.6 million US - $3.4 million AU - $3.6 million NZThe third-year pro from Melbourne by way of LSU reeceived a $2 million signing bonus from the Giants to go with a 2016 base salary of $600,000.dddddddddddd Thats pretty good scratch for booting around the pigskin.Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz, NBA$2.2 million US - $2.9 million AU - $3.1 million NZThe 6-foot-8 forward from the Adelaide area is in his third season with the Jazz after two seasons with Barcelona and one with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague. Ingles and his wife, Renae, welcomed twins in July, just prior to his joining the Boomers in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics.Adam Gotsis, Denver Broncos, NFL$1.5 million US - $2 million AU - $2.1 million NZThe 6-foot-4, 287-pound defensive tackle from Melbourne by way of Georgia Tech has four tackles so far this season for the first-place Broncos. As a second-round draft pick, he received a signing bonus in excess of $1 million to go with his rookie base salary of $450,000.Lachlan Edwards, New York Jets, NFL$525,000 US - $685,000 AU - $730,000 NZThe rookie punter from Melbourne by way of Sam Houston State is another member of the new wave of Australian punters in the NFL and college football. If he remains on the Jets active roster all season, he will earn his entire $450,000 base salary to go along with a signing bonus of approximately $75,000.Liam Hendriks, Oakland Athletics, MLB$520,000 US - $680,000 AU - $730,000 NZThe 27-year-old, right-handed pitcher from Perth began the season as the only Aussie in the major leagues, but he was eventually joined by the three MLB players listed below. Hendriks has played six MLB seasons with Oakland, Toronto and Minnesota, and he posted a 3.76 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 14 walks in 64? innings this season.Paul Lasike, Chicago Bears, NFL$450,000 US - $590,000 AU - $630,000 NZThe 5-foot-11, 258-pound fullback from Auckland, New Zealand, made his NFL debut this season after spending 2015 on Chicagos practice squad. He recently returned to the practice squad -- sort of the NFL equivalent to flying standby -- after spending five weeks on the active roster. Even if he spends the remainder of the season on the practice squad, he will come close to earning his full base salary of $450,000.Peter Moylan, Kansas City Royals, MLB$390,000 US - $510,000 AU - $540,000 NZThe 10-year veteran from Attadale, Western Australia, spent around 140 days on the Royals roster this season, earning much of MLBs $507,500 minimum salary. Moylan posted a solid 3.43 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 16 walks in 50 games this year at age 37.Warwick Saupold, Detroit Tigers, MLB$190,000 US - $250,000 AU - $265,000 NZThe Perth native was on the Tigers active roster or disabled list for about 70 days this season, so this figure estimates a prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary -- not including what he earned during his time with Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old, right-handed pitcher opened his major league career with three consecutive scoreless appearances.James Beresford, Minnesota Twins, MLB$70,000 US - $90,000 AU - $100,000 NZThe infielder from Melbourne was called up to the majors on Sept. 6 and remained with the Twins for the rest of the season. He earned nearly one month of pay at the MLB minimum rate, plus more than four months at Triple-A Rochester. He made his MLB debut on Sept. 10 and recorded his first career hit with a single off Cleveland right-hander Shawn Armstrong.Several individual-sport athletes also cleared seven-figure earnings this year -- not including endorsements. Golf stars Lydia Ko ($2.5 million US) of New Zealand and Australians Jason Day ($8 million US) and Adam Scott ($6.5 million US) recorded handsome incomes this past season. In tennis, Nick Kyrgios ($1.8 million US) and Bernard Tomic ($1.2 million US) were the top Aussie earners.Sources: ESPN Roster Management System database, ESPN.com, sports-reference.com, spotrac.com ' ' '