Phillys favorite pastime is back in vogue again. Local media and fans have pumped new fuel into a narrative as old as time in those parts -- calling the?Philadelphia Flyers?goaltending into question.Last season,?Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth were arguably the strength of the team. Now, with the Flyers tied for 30th in goals against, theyre feeling the heat.Of course, its a little more complicated than that. But the familiar refrain is simple.I think that if you asked Mase or Neuvy right now if theyve played at the top of their games, theyd say no, Flyers general manager?Ron Hextall, himself one of the franchises iconic netminders, told ESPN.com before Fridays game in Toronto.We have full confidence that both of them will get to the top of their games and give us real good goaltending. Quite honestly, the last thing I was worried about going into this season was our goaltending. And, as I sit here today, I feel the same way. I feel very strongly about both guys.Mason, who has been a steady presence in the Flyers net since coming over from the?Columbus Blue Jackets?in 2012-13, sports a .880 save percentage after posting a .918 last season. He smiled and shrugged on Friday when I brought up the Whats wrong with the Flyers goaltending? narrative.When people see the start of the year -- and it hasnt been great, Ill be the first one to admit that -- they hit the panic button. You just have to laugh it off, Mason said. People are always going to have negative things to say about you. [Given] the amount of work that I put into getting comfortable with my game again and getting back to where I have confidence in it, Im not going to let a handful of games sidetrack that at all.You just focus on being better. Its pretty simple. It hasnt been good enough. You put the work in and try to build off solid performances.Neuvirth was terrific last season, with a .924 save percentage. He currently sits at .859 and is now out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, which he suffered on Saturday night.I want to build on last year, but I also know what happened, happened, Neuvirth said Friday. This is a new year and a new opportunity.Its obvious that they both need to be better, but a little help from their friends would be nice, too. The Flyers defensive miscues at times this season have exacerbated things.No question, said Hextall, when asked if the defensive lapses have had an effect. [If] you want to narrow it down to just the goalies, thats one thing. But if you want to look at turnovers -- and just a couple of times a game, the real blatant turnovers, or the blatant, poor defensive plays -- theyve ended up in our net. It magnifies it because the goalies didnt make the save but weve had errors in our end that led to some of those goals.Its not just the goalies.Hextall is doing a bang-up job of rebuilding his roster. He has two impressive teenagers in his lineup this season --?Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny?-- a year after seeing Shayne Gostisbehere contend for the Calder Trophy.But as one Eastern Conference scout who has seen the Flyers a couple of times this season pointed out, youth in the lineup can also translate, at times, into defensive lapses.Now you bring in Provorov, thats a big jump for a young kid to be relied on and responsible in your own end, the scout said. Theres no doubt hes one heck of a prospect. Then you look at Gostisbehere. His thing is playing with the puck in the offensive zone. Theyve got some really gifted offensive D-men. But sometimes its hard when youre an offensive D-man, and youre not big and strong and youre playing in our own end longer than youd like. A lot of times the puck can end up in the back of your net.The?Toronto Maple Leafs?are 28th in goals against. They prevailed on Friday night in a wild, 6-3 affair in which defense wasnt exactly a priority at times. I asked Leafs head coach Mike Babcock after his teams Friday morning skate about drawing parallels between his team and the Flyers, in terms of the challenge of youth and finding that defensive structure.If youre the coach who has given up the most goals in the league ... I mean, you have to have a look right there, Babcock said pointing at himself. So, why can we go from where we were with less talent [but better defensively last year] to where we are with more talent? Well, you dont take care of the puck. Not enough details defensively.As a young player you learn in this league very quickly: No. 1, you dont like a lot of dashes [minuses] beside your name. You just dont. It hurts your feelings. So you want to get rid of that. The second thing is, you know that when its going in your net all the time, its not going in the other net. So youre playing in the wrong zone. Thats the work zone. The speed zone is the neutral zone and the fun zone is the one you want to play in. You better learn how to play without [the puck] so you can spend more time in the fun zone.Bingo.I also wonder how much its weighing on both goalies they will be unrestricted free agents next July 1. There have been no contract talks with either guy, as Hextall wants to see how this plays out for a while before making any decisions.Both guys are pros. They both know theyre going to be employed next year, said Hextall, downplaying whatever impact the expiring deals may have on both of his goalies. Theres no reason to make any decisions right now. Were going to see where it goes. Theres a possibility we sign both guys. I wouldnt be opposed to it. I like both guys. But in the end, why not get as much information as you can before you make a decision??Mason isnt going to pretend its ideal, however.Would it be nice to have a contract past this year and have that kind of security? Absolutely, Mason said. But I understand the situation right now, that Neuvy and I are both up. Im sure he wants to be here, as do I.This is where I learned to love hockey again, where Im comfortable, love the guys on the team, love where I live. Its definitely something to work toward, and hopefully it works out in my favor in the end.Neuvirth is equally philosophical. I would love to stay with the Flyers. But, you know, its a business, he said. Im just worrying about what I can control.Hanging over all of it is the Las Vegas expansion draft. As it stands now, the only Flyers goalie who could to be exposed next June is third-year AHLer Anthony Stolarz, a second-round pick in 2012 by the Flyers. Philadelphia might rather expose someone else, which would mean trading or signing for another goalie.Plus, theres the matter of what to do with Mason and Neuvirth past this season.This could go a number of ways, and I dont have that figured out yet, Hextall said when asked about the Vegas factor.His current goalies arent dwelling on what might happen next summer. Its definitely going to cause some movement, Im sure of it, around the league. I just hope my bags wont be packing, Mason said, with a smile.Who knows? Neuvirth said. I just worry about the next game. Fake Yeezy 350 v2 Zebra .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Wholesale Yeezy 350 v2 Clay . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. http://www.yeezys350cheap.com/fake-yeezy-350-mens-wholesale.html . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Cheap Yeezy 350 V2 . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Core Black-Solar Red . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Justin Blackmon pinned his problems on his decisions. Blackmon, suspended the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy, acknowledged Monday that hes at a crossroads in his career and his personal life. But the Jacksonville Jaguars receiver insisted he doesnt have an alcohol or substance-abuse problem. "Out of this whole thing one of the main things I would say that I had a problem with was just making a poor decision, making a selfish decision at that and not thinking about the long term of it and just thinking about at the time," Blackmon said following the teams first organized team activity. "If you want to ask if I have a problem? I have a problem with making a poor decision." Blackmon has a credibility problem, too. It was just 11 months ago that that Blackmon apologized for getting arrested on a DUI charge in Stillwater, Okla. -- tests showed his blood-alcohol content to be three times the legal limit -- and vowed that this is "not who Im going to be." Blackmon eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI, which put him in the leagues substance-abuse program. Although he declined Monday to reveal what triggered his suspension, its likely he failed a random test. The former Oklahoma State star and fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft also was arrested on a misdemeanour DUI charge in Texas in 2010 after officers caught him speeding on a suburban Dallas highway. The charge was later reduced to an underage alcohol possession charge. Although it sure seems like this is a pattern of behaviour, Blackmon said hes "confident" his latest mistake will be his last. "I dont think anybody wants to be in the position that Im in right now, and I dont think anybody wants to be in a position that can be any worse," Blackmon said. "Im not going to go into it and say I want to be in this position because thats not where I want to be. All I can do is come out here and work every day and get better each day. Coach Gus (Bradley) says every day, Today is the most important day, and thats all I can do is come out here every day and try to improve and take care of everything else as it comes." Blackmon declined comment when asked whether he plans to enrol in a rehabilitation program. Blackmon, who caught 64 passes for 865 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, will miss games against Kansas City, Oakland, Seattle and Indianapolis to open the season.dddddddddddd He will be eligible to return to practice Monday, Sept. 30. He will be allowed to attend meetings and be inside the facility during the suspension, but cant practice or play. Blackmon apologized to teammates shortly after the suspension was announced April 30. "He came across well," veteran centre Brad Meester said. "He just apologized for what he did. He knew he was wrong and said it wouldnt happen again. We all accepted that. ... We cant control what people do what they leave here. We cant change what happened in the past. We have to be there for him and help him through this and make sure this doesnt happen again." Running Maurice Jones-Drew, though, said reaction to Blackmons suspension has been "out of control." "The media just blows it out of proportion," Jones-Drew said. "A lot of people make several mistakes. If youre that age and you have that amount of money, how would you act? If you answer that question truthfully, you can go from there." Plenty of first-round draft picks, however, go their entire careers without landing in the substance-abuse policy or on the suspended list. "You have to do the right thing no matter where you are," Meester said. "Were blessed with this opportunity. Youd hate to lose that opportunity because of something dumb you did outside of here. You dont want that to be the reason you cant play this game." If Blackmon gets another suspension while in the program, it would be for a full season. "Were going to see what kind of character he has," Jones-Drew said. Blackmons four-game hiatus will cost him about$220,000. It also triggered language in his contract that voids future guarantees, meaning the Jaguars could cut him without having to pay about $10 million that remains on a four-year, $18.5 million contract. Blackmon made it clear he wants to move on from the suspension, but the 23-year-old receiver stopped short of saying he plans to change his lifestyle. "Ive just got to make better decisions," he said. "Like I said, my problem was I made a selfish decision and I apologize for that. I apologized to my teammates and I apologized to my family for it. Thats something that I did and I take full responsibility for it." ' ' '