isted five candidates at each position in the starting eight.

LE LIORAN, France -- Vincenzo Nibalis struggles in the first hard climb of the Tour de France have settled the leadership debate within the Astana team.The 2014 Tour champion was dropped by the top Tour contenders in the punishing category-2 ascent of the Pas de Peyrol in Wednesdays first mountain stage, crossing the finish line at Le Lioran ski resort eight minutes and 38 seconds behind his younger Astana teammate Fabio Aru.After winning the Giro earlier this season, the Sicilian rider made the pledge that he would ride the Tour in support of Aru to focus instead on the Olympic Games road race next month. The plan was that Aru would return the favor by working for him in Rio, where both cyclists traveled in January to check out the course.But given Nibalis proud temper and stunning comeback on the penultimate stage of the Giro, there was speculation that he would play his personal card at cyclings showpiece event.Its now obvious that Nibali is not fresh enough to compete for the overall win.With three very difficult stages in the Pyrenees looming this weekend, Nibali dropped to 50th overall, 14.06 minutes behind new race leader Greg Van Avermaet.I wanted to stay near the front with Fabio, but I didnt have the legs and I wasnt having a good day so I really let it all go, Nibali said at his team bus after the 216-kilometer stage on the middle mountain roads of Massif Central.After the Giro, I took 15 days off. Its not easy to race here after the Giro. Weve all said many times that Fabio is racing for the Tour, so were here in support of him. Today it would have been nice to be alongside Fabio, but it wasnt my day. Im fine with this, I dont have any regret.Astana manager Alexandre Vinokourov said Nibali suffered from the heat and was not surprised by his riders failure to deliver.We knew he would not be a contender, Vinokourov said. Today was difficult for everybody, a real mountain stage even if the climbs were not so long. And everyone saw that Aru was there.A climbing specialist who won the Spanish Vuelta last year, Aru is widely regarded as a future great of his sport. At 25, he has also finished twice on the Giro podium and is attempting to win the Tour on his race debut. Only 11 cyclists have achieved the feat, including Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil and Felice Gimondi.Aru, who was mentored by Nibali earlier in his career, was at ease throughout the days five climbs and crossed the line in the same time as favorites Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana, keeping his chances alive.Although he is not sure he will recover his form before the Pyrenees, Nibali repeated that he would try his best to help Aru. He is in great shape and we all want to ride a good race for him. Wholesale Nike Air Max 97 .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Cheap Nike Air Max 97 . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.fakeairmax97wholesale.com/ . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Black Friday Nike Air Max 97 . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Nike Air Max 97 Outlet . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player.What do these three guys all have in common? Manny Lee, Luis Sojo and Nelson Liriano. Well they all played second base for the Blue Jays in 1990, the year before the team traded for Roberto Alomar, getting Robby and Joe Carter from San Diego for Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff. The Blue Jays second base situation now is much as it was then, with no definitive No. 1 guy. Some days its Maicer Izturis, others its Emilio Bonifacio or Munenori Kawasaki or even Mark DeRosa. Im not suggesting there is another Robby Alomar out there on the open market and readily available, but it pretty clear that by the off-season, the Jays have to explore all possibilities. Seattle has basically handed over its second base job to rookie Nick Franklin. That has led them to move the incumbent Dustin Ackley to centre field. Maybe thats a better position for him or maybe by the end of the year, hell be pushing to play second for another organization. Texas has an interesting situation with 31-year-old veteran Ian Kinsler and 20-year-old rookie Jurickson Profar. Kinsler doesnt seem too keen about switching positions to make room for Profar at the keystone and the Rangers cant afford to be without his bat and abilities out of the leadoff slot. Kinsler is also under contract through 2017, with an option for 2018 worth a guaranteed $62 million. Profar has occasionally played second, but more often third base, and this past weekend he even started in left field. He is a superior defensive player to Kinsler but hasnt settled in as a major league hitter yet. The Rangers have shown no inclination to want to trade him, but maybe in the off-season Texas might be persuaded to get a big bat what with Nelson Cruz heading for free agency. The Blue Jays could also go from within, and try to move Brett Lawrie to second. Alex Anthopoulos himself said earlier in the year when Brett was rehabbing from that muscle injury in his rib cage, that Lawrie just might be better defensively at second than he is at third, which would be saying a lot. The dream choice would be Houstons 55" sparkplug Jose Altuve, who was the Astros MVP last season, and made the All-Star team to boot. Hes also capable of being a lead-off hitter. Altuve is such a fan favourite though, its difficult to see the Astros parting with him. Home Run Heaven Rogers Centre used to be regaarded as a middle of the pack ballpark when it came to hitting home runs.dddddddddddd But through Sunday, it has surrendered a Major League-leading 131 homers through 46 games or 2.85 per game. The Red Sox Mike Napoli has hit the longest home run of the season to date at 472, at Rogers Centre back on May 1. Nobody has any definitive explanation for why the Dome has suddenly become a home run haven, but it could go hand-in-hand with the struggles of the Blue Jays starting pitching. The Jays of course have some prime power hitters in Jose Bautista and Edwin Enacarnacion just to name two. Setting Targets Lefty Darren Oliver told J.P Morosi of Foxsports that he believed the Blue Jays had to be five games over .500 by the end of this month to have a chance at making the post-season. Well, they are two games under right now, which means the Jays would have to go 13-6 over their final 19 games in July to hit Olivers target. Canadian Angle The New York Post is getting its readers to vote for the All-Time greatest Mets team, to be unveiled in conjunction with the All-Star Game next Tuesday at Citi Field. They listed five candidates at each position in the starting eight. Though it likely wont happen, there is either a former Expo or Blue Jay up for every spot. C: Gary Carter - Expos 1B: Carlos Delgado - Blue Jays 2B: Edgardo Alfonso - briefly Blue Jays 3B: Hubie Brooks - Expos SS: Jose Reyes- Blue Jays LF: Cliff Floyd - Expos CF: Lee Mazzilli/Mookie Wilson - Blue Jays RF: Rusty Staub - Expos As I mentioned, this likely wont be the final team, three of four of them could make the final cut, though. Sans Stoppers Cleveland is just two-and-a-half games back of Detroit in the A.L. Central and is closer to a Wild Card spot than the Blue Jays. Yet surprisingly the Indians are tied with Boston for the fewest saves in the American League through this past Saturday with 17, and were tied with Baltimore with the most blown saves with 16. West Coast Struggles Its hard to believe how far Josh Hamilton has tumbled from the final month of last season, to signing with the Angels to now. Last year he set an all-time record with 11 million All-Star votes. This year he didnt even come close to being chosen. Hes on pace to hit .221 for the season with 20 homers and 56 runs batted in. ' ' '