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Its one of my biggest pet peeves in football and it happens all over the world and it happens often. Moreover, it makes the game a little less beautiful. I call it the "deliberate handball swindle." A player, believing hes been fouled, grabs the ball while falling to the ground, forcing the referee into making a decision in the players favour. As a long suffering observer of CONCACAF, Ill cynically assume that this technique originated in Central America and spread like a disease to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, FIFA has allowed the plague to fester...until recently it seems. More and more, we are seeing officials make the correct decision, by giving a free kick in the other direction, while brandishing the yellow card that is automatically awarded for intentionally handling the ball. Unfortunately for Whitecaps fans, it was a Vancouver player that fell victim to that modern interpretation and, because Mattias Laba was already in the book, it was an indisputable sending off in the Whitecaps 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids on Saturday. Was Laba pulled back by Nick Labrocca in the 77th minute and might a foul have been awarded? Yes. But there were a full two steamboats between Laba tumbling to the ground and the Argentine midfielder grabbing the ball. Enough time for the referee to blow his whistle, which he didnt, and enough time for Laba to consider the circumstances - already on a yellow with his team leading by a goal. Perhaps in his home country, in front of a huge crowd, a referee might have caved to the con and we see that all the time. I sympathize with officials who are constantly being put in a position of having to interpret deceit. So for the good of the game, Im glad Ionnis Stavridis construed the law the way he did and I hope his contemporaries in the game consistently follow suit and react the same way in similar circumstances. There is part of me, though, that also wonders whether in this instance, if the referee knew right away that Laba was already on a yellow for a belligerent foul just 23 minutes earlier ,as there seemed to be hesitation between him showing the secnd yellow and then the red. If referees themselves strive for anonymity and the desire to let players decide games, then, upon reflection, perhaps Mr. Stavridis might have secretly wished he had just awarded a foul to Nick Labrocca and not influenced the game to that degree. But it doesnt change the fundamental issue - grabbing the ball to force a referee into a ruling falls under the same category as diving or, as its now known, “simulation." Its cheating plain and simple and if the Whitecaps truly want to live by their slogan “Our All, Our Honour”, maybe they need to learn from this incident and encourage players to think twice about employing one of the games most notorious swindles. Baltimore Orioles Pro Shop . His brother — Red Lake chiropractor Richard Radford — is en route to Sochi to cheer on his younger brother. "Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said. Baltimore Orioles Store .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. https://www.cheaporioles.com/ . The two were in the batting cage moments before game time. Bautista was taking final warm up cuts. Pillar was hitting soft toss. The one-time utility player turned All-Star pulled aside the clubs young, fourth outfielder and offered him some advice. Fake Orioles Jerseys . 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Getting Creative The Pittsburgh Penguins will try their best to acquire Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks before the Trade Deadline.GLENDALE, Ariz. - It will be out with the new and in with the old for the Arizona Coyotes this season.After two fruitless years of trying to boost their scoring punch, the Coyotes are going back to the down-in-the-trenches, outwork-your-opponent ways that had been the cornerstone of their previous success.We may have lost a little on pure talent, proven talent, but we brought in some people who are going to fit into the chemistry mix, that junkyard dog, hang-around-games-find-a-way-to-win mentality, Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. And thats how we have to be right now.Since Dave Tippett was hired in 2009, the Coyotes have fit the mould of their defensive-minded coach, relying on a pack-it-in-mentality, good goaltending and a counterpunching offence.Arizona ran Tippetts system well, earning three straight playoff berths a€” all without an owner a€” including a trip to the 2012 Western Conference finals.In the two seasons after that surprising run, the Coyotes tried to find ways to boost their offensive output, including the big-ticket signing of forward Mike Ribeiro before last season.None of it worked.The Coyotes were inconsistent with their defence-first approach and Ribeiro was a bust, his contract bought out by the team during the off-season after he struggled with inconsistency on the ice and personal problems off it.This off-season, there were no splashy signings like the Ribeiro deal. Instead, Arizona picked up gritty, hard-working guys who fit their system, like Sam Gagner, Joe Vitale and B.J. Crombeen.Now its back to the lunch pail for the blue-collared desert dogsWe need to be a very competitive team night in and night out and thats what our goal will be, Tippett said.A few more things to look for from the Coyotes, who open the season with four straight home games, starting Oct. 9 against Winnipeg.YOUTH MOVEMENT: Arizona has been reluctant to thrust young players into important roles in the past, preferring to let them gain experience in the minors before giving them a shot with the big club. The Coyotes seem to be more willing to give the young guys a chance this season, in part because of competition within the team, but also because of the talent they have. Pllayers like Henrik Samuelsson, Tobias Rieder and Tyler Gaudet will not start the season with the Coyotes, but theres a good chance theyll be called up and play.ddddddddddddSMITHS HEALTH: As goalie Mike Smith goes, so do the Coyotes, particularly now that theyre trying to get back to a more defensive style of hockey. Smith carried Arizona at times during its run to the Western Conference finals. He suffered a groin injury in the third game of the strike-shortened 2012-13 season and wasnt nearly as consistent as the year before. The Coyotes were still in position for a playoff spot last season, but Smith missed the final 10 games with a knee injury and Arizona fell two points short of the playoffs. Healthy again, Smith and the Coyotes are hoping he can get back to being one of the leagues elite goalies.SCORING LOAD: So now that the Coyotes are turning back the defensive clock, the question comes up again: Where will the offence come from? Arizona lost top-line winger Radim Vrbata, the teams leading scorer two years ago, and Ribeiro, who had 47 points despite his struggles last season. Arizona is hoping Gagner can fill some of the scoring load after a change of scenery. The 24-year-old had five straight 40-point seasons with Edmonton before his production dropped off slightly the past two years.THE DOANER: Captain Shane Doan got off to one of the best starts of his career last season, but missed 12 games after contracting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and had to work his way back into shape even after he returned. Doan still finished second on the team with 24 goals, but worked relentlessly on his conditioning over the summer and reported to camp in great shape. At 37, hes still an offensive force and the catalyst for the Coyotes.BLUE-LINE SCORERS: Arizonas roster still includes two of the best offensive defencemen in the league. Keith Yandle led the Coyotes with 53 points last season and Oliver Ekman-Larsson added 44 points, including 15 goals. They also helped Arizonas power play, which was fourth in in the league in efficiency after struggling in previous seasons. Ekman-Larsson is a solid two-way player as well, but Yandle said he wants to be better in Arizonas end. ' ' '