Clan-Members » n out of outs. Correia gave up five hits and t

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Some 5,000 miles away from Brazil, longtime racewalking coach and competitor Don Lawrence was watching an online feed of Fridays mens 20-kilometer event at the Rio Games when the conversation turned to doping within the sport.The question was if it will ever be considered clean.I dont see that coming in the near future, Lawrence said.A grim answer, yet that is the reality for racewalking right now. Dogged by doping issues for years, and with one of the highest-profile people in the niche sport being handed an eight-year ban just one day before the first racewalk of these Olympics, it presses on -- with predictable insistence from those that the worst days are in the past.Wang Zhen of China won the gold medal Friday in 1 hour, 19 minutes, 14 seconds, 12 seconds ahead of countryman Cai Zelin. Australias Dane Bird-Smith was another 11 seconds back to take the bronze medal, in a field that had no Russians as part of the massive fallout from the discovery of a state-sponsored doping program.Even the Russians had turned up for this race, it wouldnt have changed a thing, said Bird-Smith, the son of a two-time Olympian. Im still here to bring it to them. So theres no backing off, even if theres guys that are doping in the race. ... Ill always advocate that we crack down hard on anyone whos caught in doping. It just got to a point where it was a bit ridiculous, wasnt it?Oh, its been ridiculous.Fridays race came one day after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the appeal of Italian racewalker Alex Schwazer -- the 2008 Olympic champion in the 50-kilometer racewalk -- and imposed an eight-year ban for steroid usage. Its a double-whammy for Schwazer, who also missed the 2012 London Games following a ban for another doping offense.Doping is one of the most frustrating things in this sport, Bird-Smith said. Theres not much you can do.Wang won the bronze medal at the London Games four years ago, and the 1-2 finish for the Chinese marked the third time that one country took the top two spots in the 20-kilometer walk. And its the second straight gold for China in the event, after Chen Ding won in London.I just followed my heart, Wang said.Russia had claimed 11 medals in racewalking in the last five Olympics. Theres also been at least 33 doping cases involving Russian walkers in recent years, with 26 of those leading to bans -- and almost all out of the same training program.Its well-established that the sport is rather peculiar to watch, especially for those unfamiliar with the rules and nuance of racewalking. A tightly packed mass of athletes start en masse, elbows swinging, hips swaying, legs straightening with every stride and ensuring that one foot makes contact with the ground at all times.I tend to think that those who put down the sport because of its silly gait have never tried it, Lawrence said in a telephone interview from the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. You have to have a thick skin to do it.But the cloud of cheating, whether real or imagined, certainly doesnt help.And for those within the sport, frustration is clear.Its been kind of disappointing since our sport doesnt get that much attention and publicity anyway, and then this is what its known for now, said U.S. junior womens racewalker Meaghan Podlaski, a future Olympic hopeful who attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Im hopeful that one day everyone will see the positive things, not just see it as a bunch of cheaters and dopers.Bird-Smith has the same hope.Its something that all athletes have dealt with for the last couple years, Bird-Smith said. And its something were going to continue to deal with, because its such a tough problem to overcome. Dries Mertens Belgium Jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Belgium Jerseys . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.soccerbelgiumteamonline.com/Youri-Tielemans-UEFA-European-Belgium-Jersey/ . 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. Romelu Lukaku Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Adnan Januzaj Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Morneau watched the ball sail off one of his big swings toward right field, and finally the flight ended in the seats. After 168 at-bats without a home run, Minnesotas most powerful hitter for the past decade went deep again. Morneaus two-run shot and Brian Doziers three-run homer helped the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4 on Wednesday. "Theyll come in bunches. Youll see him at 20-plus before too long," Dozier said. Morneaus third homer of the season followed an RBI single by Josh Willingham in the sixth off Deunte Heath after Chris Sales night ended after five shaky innings. Morneau last went deep on April 28. The 2006 AL MVP has three seasons of 30-plus homers, but he hasnt done that since 2009. "I was sure hoping it was going to be gone, thats for sure," Morneau said. "Its been a while. It was good feeling. It was a good game for us. Hopefully that gets the monkey off my back, and we can get rolling." His teammates teased him in the dugout after he rounded the bases, pretending to ignore him, a silent-treatment trick instigated by manager Ron Gardenhire, according to Dozier. So Morneau gave out a bunch of air high-fives, a light moment on a night when several Twins enjoyed fine performances. "You can stand there and look like an idiot or high-five the air like an idiot. I chose to high-five the air like an idiot. It was fun," Morneau said. Glen Perkins pitched a perfect ninth for the second game in a row, recording his 18th save in 20 tries, after Kevin Correia (6-4) pitched into the seventh. Dozier reached base four times, including a three-run homer in the second against Sale (5-6). The White Sox have dropped six of seven to fall to 29-40. Theyre 11 games under .500 for the first time since an 11-22 record on May 6, 2011. "We havent quit. Its still a long way to go, and we can get hot any time," right fielder Alex Rios said. "Any moment, we can turn things around. Were going to keep grinding until theres nothing left." If Sale is struggling, thats almost a sure sign the White Sox are in trouble too. The lanky left-hander failed to reach the sixth inning for the first time in his last 10 starts, giving up four runs and eight hits. He also walked two, hit two batters and threw a wild pitch. Four of Sales five strikeouts were notched with his first four outs, but the second inning was a rough one. Oswaldo Arcia hit a sharp comebacker that Sale got a glove on to proteect his body, but in doing so he jerked his midsection backward and flipped over from the momentum.dddddddddddd. The ball grazed his arm and his chin. Arcia had a one-out single, and Sale stayed in the game after he was checked out. Then Clete Thomas walked, and Doziers two-out drive -- his fifth homer this season -- put the Twins in front 3-1. Right before that, as Sale covered first base to barely get Pedro Florimon on a 3-1 groundout, the pitcher appeared to twist his left knee after trying to slow down and pivot toward the diamond as the runners moved to second and third. That prompted a second manager-trainer visit to Sale. He didnt show any discomfort after that, but he never found his form. Sale said neither of those scary plays affected his pitching. "Getting behind guys, thats what happens. They make you pay for it," Sale said. Trevor Plouffes RBI single in the third inning extended the lead, and the Twins left eight men on base over Sales five innings. Sale is 0-4 in four starts this month, but in 26 1-3 innings he has allowed only nine earned runs. Alejandro De Azas fourth leadoff home run this season was not nearly enough for the White Sox, who crept closer against the Twins bullpen but ran out of outs. Correia gave up five hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings without a walk. He struck out six, after facing his third straight standout lefty. He had a no-decision against Washingtons Gio Gonzalez and Philadelphias Cliff Lee in his last two turns. "Im used to it. Its fun, going up against a very good pitcher like that. You dont have any room for error," Correia said. NOTES: Morneau tied Kirby Puckett for fifth place on Minnesotas home run list with the 207th of his career. ... Twins first-round draft pick Kohl Stewart shagged fly balls during batting practice after signing his contract and will leave Thursday for Fort Myers, Fla., to start pitching in the Gulf Coast League. Stewart, also a star quarterback at St. Pius X High School in Houston, turned down an offer to play baseball and football for Texas A&M. When Stewart stepped on the plane for Minnesota this week, he noticed a familiar face sitting in front of him: Adrian Peterson. After they landed, Stewart used Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin as an introductory icebreaker. Sumlin was an assistant at Oklahoma when Peterson played there. "Its kind of intimidating to introduce myself to Adrian Peterson, but it kind of worked out well," Stewart said. ' ' '