August 7, 2016 will be a red-letter day for Indian womens hockey -- the teams match against Japan will mark their first time at the Olympics since the 1980 edition in Moscow. But expect no miracles from the side that will be ranked lowest in their pool at 13. Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Japan and USA have all improved significantly in recent years. The Argentines recently avenged their 2012 Olympic final defeat to the Netherlands in the Champions Trophy final in London.The key thing for India is that they can dominate matches in chunks, and when they do that they tend to play free-flowing hockey and score lots of goals. If such a trend can be established against Japan -- in their least-challenging pool fixture, at least on paper -- then the likes of Rani Rampal, Poonam Rani and Vandana Katariya could have a major influence in the later matches.The teamGoalkeeper: Savita PuniaDefenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika Thakur (vice-captain), Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu (captain)Midfielders: Navjot Kaur, Monika Malik, Renuka Yadav, Lilima MinzForwards: Anuradha Devi, Poonam Rani, Vandana Kataria, Rani Rampal, Nikki Pradhan, Preeti DubeyOn standby: Rajani Etimarpu, H Lalruat FeliThe key datesAugust 6-19How they got thereThe Indian womens team qualified for the Olympics by finishing fifth in the Antwerp leg of the Hockey World League semi-finals.What they sayNeil Hawgood (chief coach):?This is the first time this team is going to experience the aura of being at the Olympics. It is a big moment for all of them. Each athlete in the team is both physically and mentally strong for the task ahead of us.Sushila Chanu:?While this is the happiest moment for us to be a part of the Olympics for the first time, there is an equal amount of responsibility.ExtrasIndias womens team has qualified for the Olympics after a 36-year gap. They had previously competed in 1980, which was the first year that womens hockey was played at the Games.?Indias track record* India finished fourth out of six teams in the 1980 Olympics -- the only edition they had qualified for before Rio.Cheap Hydro Flask 32 oz Wide Mouth Black Water Bottle .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. 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At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line.CHICAGO -- While the Chicago Cubs were waiting to find out if they would play the New York Mets or San Francisco Giants in the NL Division Series, Addison Russell thought about the experience he gained in last years playoffs.It was invaluable, even if an injury cut it short.Its pretty important, Russell said Wednesday. I kind of got to see the atmosphere a little bit, especially in that wild-card game and the first games against the Cardinals as well. I got that experience in my back pocket. Hopefully, this first series against whoever it may be, positive, and amped up as well.The Cubs created a buzz in the North Side of Chicago by rolling to a major league-leading 103 wins. Long-suffering fans are hoping for their first title since 1908, and the atmosphere at Wrigley Field figures to be charged when the Division Series opens Friday night.Victories are tougher to come by in October than in May or June, though. Chicagos track record and talent only count for so much in five- or seven-game series.It has to do with good fortune, general manager Jed Hoyer said. That doesnt mean the team that gets there is lucky. Youre going to have to have some breaks along the way.The Cubs won more games than they had since 1910, with one of the deepest lineups and pitching staffs in the game.They boast two NL MVP candidates in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and a pair of Cy Young Award contenders in Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks to go with last years winner in Jake Arrieta.They also have a 22-year-old in Russell who emerged as one of the best all-around shortstops in baseball. The NL All-Star is a strong candidate for the Gold Glove and a key contributor at the plate. And he comes into these playoffs looking to stick around unttil the end after showing some flashes in a run last year that ended with an injury.ddddddddddddRussell broke up a no-hit bid by St. Louis John Lackey with a single in the sixth inning of the opener of the NL Division Series. But he pulled his left hamstring sliding into third with a triple in Game 3 against the Cardinals and did not play again.The Cubs were then swept by the Mets in the NLCS, but they came back better this year and so did Russell. He hit 21 homers and drove in 95 runs -- second among major league shortstops -- to go with some spectacular play in the field.Im a little bit more familiar with these guys, Russell said. Ive been playing on this surface for a little bit longer so that makes everything a little bit more comfortable for me.Russell was initially drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 11th pick in the 2012 draft and appeared to be on a path to becoming their long-term shortstop. But that changed two years ago.With one of the best teams in the majors, Oakland sent Russell to the Cubs in a multiplayer deal for pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.That trade turned some heads in Chicago since they already had one young shortstop in Starlin Castro and another in the system in Javier Baez. But it worked out well.Russell supplanted Castro as the everyday shortstop down the stretch last season after playing second base. That allowed the Cubs to trade Castro to the New York Yankees in the offseason and helped pave the way for Baez to become a super utility player.Now, the Cubs have their sights set on the biggest prize of all. And Russell is a reason why. ' ' '