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MILAN, Italy -- Relegation-threatened Bologna held Lazio to a goalless draw in Serie A on Saturday in Davide Ballardinis first match in charge of the home side. Ballardini, who coached Lazio for half a season, replaced the sacked Stefano Pioli on Wednesday and immediately steered Bologna to only its second point in five matches. Lazio, which beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Edy Rejas first match in charge, had the best chance of the match in the 70th minute when talented teen Keita Balde picked out Antonio Candreva but his cross was blasted over the bar by Miroslav Klose from six yards. Both sides struggled to carve out opportunities and Bolognas only real chance came following a well-worked team move, but Lazio goalkeeper Etrit Berisha did well to keep out Rolando Bianchis back-heeled flick. Lazio did not have a single shot on target in a poor game. Boos rang out at Stadio Renato DallAra at the end of the match with Bologna fans clearly not happy. An enormous banner hung from the stands read "Enough shameful performances. You are wearing the Bologna shirt." Bologna moved provisionally two points clear of the relegation zone. Livorno was three points behind Bologna after losing 3-0 at home to Parma for a fourth consecutive defeat. Parma had never won at Livorno but got off to the perfect start. With less than two minutes on the clock, Jonathan Biabiany went past a defender and crossed to the far side of the penalty area for Raffaele Palladino to volley low into the bottom right corner. Palladino, who spent a season on loan at Livorno, almost doubled his tally in similar circumstances 15 minutes later but volleyed narrowly past the right post. Amauri sealed the match three minutes from time, firing home the rebound after Massimo Gobbis effort crashed off the right upright. Former Juventus striker Amauri scored his third goal in two matches with an unstoppable penalty into the bottom right corner after Emerson fouled Pedro Mendes. Livornos best chance came at the end of the first half when Paulinhos free kick was blocked by Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante. Wholesale Womens Nike VaporMax Moc Flyknit Multi-Color Black/Volt/Hot Punch/Dark Grey AA4155-003 .com) - Avery Bradley scored 21 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets, 89-81. Wholesale Mens/Womens Off-White x Nike Vapormax White/Total Crimson-Black . has left the San Jose Sharks to become the Boston Bruins director of player personnel. http://www.wholesalevapormaxplus.com/wholesale-men-s-nike-air-vapormax-2-0-flyknit-white-black-hydrogen-blue-pink-beam-igloo-942843-102.html .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. Vapormax Moc Midnight Fog . You can watch all the action on TSN and TSN GO beginning at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Minnesota dropped the first two tests of this best-of-seven set at Chicagos United Center and was outscored by a combined 9-3 margin in those setbacks. However, the Wild righted themselves at home by taking Game 3 by a 4-0 count before knotting the series at two games apiece with Fridays 4-2 triumph at Xcel Energy Center. Vapormax Plus Grape Aqua . New York Red Bulls. TSN primes Vancouver fans for the start of the 2014 season with MLS on TSN: Season Preview Special airing tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN2 (encore Friday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN2).My uncle Rolly would say "a tie is like kissing your sister" and though I did not have a sister, and kissing anyone was a wholly unappetizing prospect, I got his drift. Nobody is happy with the outcome. To its credit, in the late 1990s, the spry brain-trust at the National Hockey League recognized this fundamental drag on its product and vowed to improve a flawed system. Various solutions and quick-fixes were considered in the ensuing years, and the League, largely during semi-regular work stoppages, decided on a blended approach. (This new three-pronged approach, despite coinciding with league expansion and record revenues, would trigger the erosion of my interest, until I eventually stopped watching entirely.) Change Number One: Four Skaters and a Goalie The number of skaters decreased to four a-side during the overtime period, opening up offensive manoeuvrability and theoretically ending more games with game-winning tallies rather than endless dump-and-chase neutrality. Verdict: Wow. This was a major move, altering the five-on-five structure basic to the sport, and it was a winner. Instead of labouring through increased late game conservatism, skilled players could find themselves better able to deke and shimmy and strut their capabilities, particularly in the games most crucial moments. It also encouraged the reversing of a trend which had taken hold across the league, one where teams were playing "not to lose" and overtime periods were getting increasingly dump-and-chase ho-hum. Overtime would be meaningful again! Sha-la-la-la! Success. Change Number Two: If At First You Dont Succeed, Shoot Again The NHL introduced the controversial, internationally-tested shootout as a means of concluding deadlocked matches. Already in use at NHL All-Star Games, the League took a baby step, opting for three shooters per side, rather than the five per side standard in international play. One in seven games ended in a tie in 2003-2004, so this was going to have a major impact. Verdict: Surprisingly decent move. Fans get a thrill and hopelessly tied games get a victor. Two for two, by my count. But the NHL is not in the leave-well-enough-alone business. In classic League fashion, a third branch of tinkering was offered up, one in which the basic worth of winning or losing would be altered. It is this final alteration that persists to today, defining the current system, and for this hanging-by-a-thread fan, produces a result which is laughable and has firmly pushed me to the periphery of support. Change Number Three: The Three Point Game Shudder. In the former system, a win was worth two points for the victor, zero points for the vanquished. A tie meant a point to each side. Two points per game to be won, lost or split. In the current system, two points continue to be the victors spoils, but depending upon how the loser loses, the losing team may be awarded one or zero points. The pertinent extrapolation — particularly in a conference-based playoff system — is to recognize that some games are then worth three points and other games worth two. This imbalance is a black eye on the game which needs immediate attention. The rule change emerged from what was termed the "Dead Puck Era" or "The Decade Hockey Turned To Crap". Overtime periods had become interminable with each side playing for the tie rather than chance going home pointless. So the NHL made tie games at the end of regulation worth one point to each side to encourage vigorous overtime play for an additional point. The change did not have the desired outcome. The risk-averse playing just starts earlier. Now the second half of the third period is the play-it-safe spot. (For those following at home, the second half of the third period was traditionally also known as the "end of the game".) So now this "end of the game" segment is like a Benjamin Moore product demonstration. Not coincidentally, since the current system launched in 2005-06, there has been a major weakening in the Mike Gallay-watching to hockey-on-television corollary. Whatever, It All Shakes Out in the End If the very nature of consolation points doesnt enrage you, consider this: not only should the Los Angeles Kings not have won the Stanley Cup in 2012, they should not have even been in the playoffs.dddddddddddd In 2011-12, the Kings finished the regular season in the 8th seed of the Western Conference. Their record of 40-27-15 really meant they finished games 40-42. In 10th place languished the Dallas Stars (42-40) and in 11th, the Colorado Rockies* (41-41). In any season prior to the three point game initiative, the Kings would not have been in the post-season. (*I am an indefatigable purist in some regards.**)(**I realize if that was truly the case I should refer to them as the Quebec Nordiques.) This is not a one-off situation. It happened to Vancouver and Los Angeles in 2005-06. To Colorado and Montreal in 2006-07. To Carolina in 2007-08. Dozens of teams have received unmerited seedings over the years, all because of the preposterous three point game. Et tu, Baseball? Whats that gang? You all are expanding to 30 or more teams?Hey, we can too!Sure weve heard of Atlanta. The NHL has long been a follow-the-leader organization which makes the three point game more puzzling. It has no relevant precedent. MLB games cannot finish in ties and, bolstered by its non-contact, non-cardiovascular setup, teams may play endlessly into the night. Hell, if necessary, theyll just keep playing tomorrow. Quite reasonably, the NHLPA would not approve potentially endless overtime periods because of potential injury and fostering competitive imbalance (ie. when a rested team plays a team which last night played seven periods). In the NBA, there are no ties and overtime periods are rare and captivating. Hardwood scoring is more plentiful than hockey scoring, so the likelihood of limitless overtime periods is slight. In the NFL (AKA "the league that gets things right") surprisingly there is allowance for ties, but league-wide there have been only two in the past five years. The anomaly of the football tie makes it bizarre and accepted as it functions more as a novelty than a drag on competitive balance. If every team averaged even one tie per season, oh yes, the NFL would have torched it long ago. Dumping & Chasing Dreams I try to get excited for hockey. I remember my youth, endless slapshots against a laundry room wall. I check out the standings to see who is jostling for—nope, cant do it. Right now, RIGHT NOW, of the 30 teams competing only 7 have losing records. Last year, by seasons end, same result, only 7 had losing records. In 2009-10, only 20% of the league had a losing record. Stop this madness. Its humiliating when grown men playing a grown mans game require the systemic equivalent of an orange slice and a plastic participant trophy. Are savvy Hockeytown fans sincerely fooled that their beloved Red Wings 30-24-13 record doesnt mean their team is a 30-37 loser? Their skaters headed to the locker room showers pissed off 37 times this year. Fact. Deep breath. I have heard all the reasons, some logical, some inebriated, on how to remedy this situation. The League and the PA and the broadcasters all have a say. But the solution is barely a tweak on what exists and would solve everything: Ten minute overtimes with four skaters a-side and a best-of-5 shootout. Winner gets two points. Loser gets a Tim Hortons special. Fans get a better reason to spend hundreds of dollars to attend. If you cannot win a game after seventy minutes then you earned the uncertainty of a shootout. The shootout, exciting as it is, might as well be five shooters a-side to give it more weight and the fans more thrills. The League only introduced regular season overtime in 1983-1984. Crucial, fundamental changes like this happen frequently. When the three point game was introduced it was to be rid of ties, to be rid of the indecision of such an outcome, but we wound up with a greater ingrained indecisiveness. This can be fixed. This should be fixed. This will improve the game. It might even make me forgive what those morons did to the conferences. Gallays Poll #3 If you were the NHL commish (my condolences), how would you remedy the current point system? (A) Leave it as is because I value tradition and systemic imbalance.(B) Take Gallays suggestions to make every game worth 2 points. 1 Winner. 1 Loser.(C) Go back to the system with the ties we all loved so much. Everyones a winner.(D) Abandon points altogether for a ranking system based entirely on scrapping. ' ' '