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Speaking for the first time since being found guilty of ball-tampering on Tuesday evening, South Africas stand-in captain Faf du Plessis used the first half of his pre-match press conference to continue to claim innocence. Du Plessis began with an explanation of what he considered the difference between altering the condition of the ball and merely looking after it, and that he firmly believed he was only doing the latter.Yesterday was the hearing and the verdict was that I was guilty. I completely disagree with that. I felt like I have done nothing wrong, du Plessis said. Theres two ways of looking at it, either ball-shining or ball-tampering. For me, if you talk about ball-tampering, that is something thats wrong. Its picking the ball, scratching the ball.Shining is something that all cricketers would say is not in that same space. It is something all cricketers do and I think there will be a lot of emphasis after this incident on where the game is going, what the ICC is going to do about it. I dont believe shining is wrong. Its not like I was trying to cheat or anything. I was shining a ball and I see no problem with that.Du Plessis admitted he had a massive mint in his mouth and was not trying to be insidious about what he was doing in using saliva that had mixed with the sweet to shine the ball, but he questioned why he would have escaped charge had his actions not been seen by television cameras. I wasnt trying to actually hide it, he said. I put a massive mint in my mouth and my mouth was that wide open. Whether you shine the ball with a sweet in your mouth or whether you dont see the sweet, and the sweet is still there, its exactly the same thing.And according to du Plessis, he has received enough support from both current and former players, including Australian captain Steven Smith, who in his own press conference said his team along with every other, shine the ball the same way, to know that it is commonplace in the game.The ex-players have spoken about it. Its part of our game. Its been an unwritten rule, du Plessis said. Some people use sunblock to shine the ball. I know of people who carry lip-ice in their pocket and shine the cricket ball or gum. So many things. Its just so difficult to say what is right and what is wrong. To say that when you have a sweet in your mouth, its wrong but when you have a sweet in your mouth and the camera doesnt pick up on it, its okay. Its just a really massive grey area.The everybody-does-it defense made headlines in the lead-up to du Plessis hearing, when footage emerged of Virat Kohli shining a ball when he appeared to have gum in his mouth, and David Warner shining a ball after applying lip-balm to his mouth. Neither Kohli nor Warner were charged - the visuals of their actions emerged after the ICCs five-day window for reporting incidents - and although du Plessis would not be drawn on whether they should have been, he asked for consistent application of the rules. I just ask that everyone gets treated the same way, he said. The ICC has taken a stance against me to use me as a scapegoat. All you can ask for is that everyone gets treated the same.He also, along with Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat, who was present at the press conference, hoped there would be clarity on what constitutes an artificial substance, and believes his case could lead to thorough research into whether sugar can make the ball swing.Ninety percent of the time, cricketers have got sugary saliva, du Plessis said. Whether we are drinking Powerade, Coke, Gatorade, eating sweets, sucking on jellies, our mouths are always full of sugar. Its such a grey area in the laws of cricket and its something that will be looked at. Us as cricketers, we think that it makes a difference but we are not scientists. We are not sure if it makes a difference. Its opened up a can of worms, whats going to happen now, going forward with the game. Something like this needed to happen to create a little bit more awareness on it.Lorgat confirmed that CSA will engage the ICC on the matter at the next cricket committee meeting but until then, du Plessis has asked not be branded underhanded and for the practice to be considered acceptable. Its never nice to be in a position like this because with ball tampering, its a really negative connotation that gets put to it and the term cheat has been thrown around and thats something I do not take lightly, he said.Its something I dont want to be associated with in any space and as I said, I felt I did nothing wrong. I was shining the cricket ball. Ive been doing that for my whole career and every single team I have played in does exactly the same thing and its not something thats frowned upon my anyone, not even the umpires. So to make such a big thing, I just think it was a little bit blown out of proportion by everyone.He has also thanked his team-mates for their united showing of support when Hashim Amla addressed the media at the MCG last Friday, with the entire squad alongside him. If you know the character of someone like Hashim Amla, you will understand that for him to go out and stand in front of the press and say the things that he said, he will feel very strongly about it. He is just the most honest guy on the planet so for him to say that means a lot, du Plessis said. Its speaks a lot about our culture and how we dont let any outside noise creep into our space.The noise may not have got in, but du Plessis has been warned to expect a hostile reception at the Adelaide Oval, perhaps from the opposition but definitely from the crowd. While he does not think Smith and co will have anything because he believes they do the same thing.I think the Aussies wont talk about it at all because they know thats part of their team as well. Its not been driven by the cricketers. You dont expect to go out there against Australia and walk out with a clap and welcome to the crease. Its part of playing against Australia, you expect that and thats something I have grown used to, he said, but challenged fans to understand his perspective. Im hoping that cricketing sense will be prevail. Its obviously something that if you are a cricketer and you understand cricket that this is not actually that big of a deal.With the ball in the spotlight, du Plessis tactics on shining the pink ball will come into focus but he has indicated it may not need as much work. The timing is perfect that its the pink ball. Apparently it swings more. It will be interesting to see how to shine the ball. I will probably just touch my finger like that and get a little bit of spit on it, he joked.And will he still use mints as the sugary substance of choice? Possibly just for bad breath now, not for shining the ball. I still the feel exactly the same way. Whether I was guilty or not, whether the sentence was different or not, I still feel exactly the same way. Maybe that needs to change now but possibly for this one game, I just maybe need to stay away from the mints.Kelly Hrudey Kings Jersey . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Marty Mcsorley Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.kingsauthentic.com/authentic-kelly-hrudey-kings-jersey/ . 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Rookie of the Year.It has been a whirlwind six months for Breanna Stewart as she completed her career at the University of Connecticut as the winningest player in NCAA womens history and began her professional life as the Seattle Storms top draft choice, with a detour through Rio in the middle.Now, theres one more first for Stewart: her first time playing overseas. Not long after Stewarts rookie season ended with a loss to the Atlanta Dream in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, she headed to Shanghai to prepare for a new season in the Womens Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).For me, I wanted to be in a place that was competitive. It was one of the best leagues in the world but also had a shorter season, Stewart said during the WNBA season. Coming off a long season with UConn, going right into the WNBA, the Olympics, finishing the WNBA, I think it was the smartest decision for my body, and Im looking forward to it.Playing overseas during the winter is common for womens basketball stars, who can make several times their WNBA earnings in foreign leagues without any maximum salary. (Kate Fagan of espnW visited Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury in Russia last season and wrote about their experience.)Griner is one of a handful of notable WNBA players who have played in recent seasons in the WCBA, which allows teams to import one player to go alongside Chinese talent. That list also includes three-time MVP Lauren Jackson, 2012 MVP Tina Charles, 2014 MVP Maya Moore, 2015 Finals MVP Sylvia Fowles and two-time All-Star MVP Swin Cash. Though Stewart did not consult anyone who played in China previously, their experience helped make her feel confident heading to the WCBA.Theyve all been over there, and its all worked out really, really well when theyve been in China, Stewart said. Just knowing that Im not going to be the first one to go to a country and test the waters (makes me comfortable). Theyve already done that, and I knnow that its going to be great when I go there.dddddddddddd.Still, there will be an adjustment. Stewart has never been abroad for more than a month at a time while playing for USA Basketball, and this will be her first time visiting Asia.Im most curious about the style of living and that kind of thing, how people interact and just walking around the city, she said. You walk around a city like Seattle and you can kind of get a vibe and a feel for people, and walking around in Shanghai, what kind of vibe and feel is that?The WCBAs style of play may require some getting used to as well. The league has a well-earned reputation for physical play. Stewarts going in with an idea of what to expect.Ive definitely heard that its physical, she said. So hopefully the WNBA is just gearing me up for that, and the international competition with the Olympics. But you cant really get prepared for it until you actually are a part of it.While part of the appeal of playing in China for WNBA stars is the fact that they can get back home for a month or two before training camp -- the leagues finals end in early March -- that still doesnt leave much time for skill development. So part of the challenge for Stewart as a professional will be finding a way to improve during the WCBA season.I think that being a pro, having that be my job, if thats how you want to say it, you want to make sure that youre getting better, she said. The WNBA offseason, its not really an offseason because youre playing overseas, but any time that I have to improve and get better, I will.But it wont be all work for Stewart. Shes looking forward to what she describes as an adventure.It looks like a great city, she said. The team has reached out and shown their excitement and that kind of thing, and its going to be an adventure. I think that its going to be a good one, and I have good people surrounding me, and it should be fun. ' ' '