teammates such as Arthur Moats. Harri

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DETROIT - Three times he went to the playoffs with Pittsburgh, once with Florida when he won the World Series and this is the fourth time to the postseason managing the Tigers. Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. "We had a very good rotation in Florida in 97 when we were fortunate enough to win the World Series but it wasnt as good as this one," said Leyland. "This is the best that Ive had. Im not talking about other teams, other organizations, but for me, yes, its the best postseason starting rotation Ive ever had." It could be that Leyland recalls fondly the guys he had on that Marlins team. That starting staff, which prominently featured the likes of Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez, Al Leiter, Tony Saunders and the emergence of then-rookie Livan Hernandez, pitched to a 3.76 ERA for the regular season as the Marlins won 92 games and the National League wild card. In the postseason, however, Florida didnt win the World Series on the strength of its rotation. The group combined to allow 56 earned runs over 93 1/3 innings for a 5.40 ERA. What that rotation was able to do was work deep into games despite giving up runs. Brown and Hernandez each had a complete game in the NLCS against the Braves and on nine occasions in the playoffs Leylands starter pitched at least six innings. Compare the numbers of Leylands 1997 playoff rotation to those of his 2013 Tigers and its an understatement to suggest his staff is the best hes had. Detroits starters have allowed 13 earned runs in 59 2/3 innings over nine playoff games so far. Thats a 1.96 ERA. Only Sanchez, in Game 3 of the ALDS against Oakland, has failed to pitch at least six innings. In the ALCS against Boston alone, Tigers pitchers have struck out 53 Red Sox hitters, allowing three runs on 14 hits. Yet the series is tied, 2-2. Blame the Tigers bullpen, or credit David Ortiz depending on your perspective, for Bostons Game 2 comeback and offer a tip of the cap to John Lackey for working pitch for pitch with Verlander in Game 3. The Tigers rotation is on a potentially historic playoff pace and it still may not be enough to vault the club into its second consecutive World Series and third in eight years. "Just how things go this time of year," said Scherzer. "This is postseason. This is what happens when the two best teams face each other. Youre going to face a battle. Series is going to be tied." Sanchez and the Red Sox Jon Lester are set to square off in Game 5. There is no mathematical must-win for either team but the starting pitching, for what its been worth, leans in favour of the Tigers. Lose Game 5 and the Red Sox, despite being home, face the prospect of having to beat Scherzer and Verlander in back to back games on Saturday and Sunday. .Y. -- The New York Islanders were merely content with a lopsided victory. . Golden States second straight road win wasnt painless. David Lee scored a season-high 29 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and Nate Robinson added 17 points, leading the Warriors to a 105-95 win Tuesday night over the road-worn Cleveland Cavaliers. http://www.eaglespromart.com/derek-barn ... es-jersey/. I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video. . The Canadiens captain, who underwent surgery on his injured biceps in the off-season, had been skating with the team in a non-contact capacity since last week. . Formula One Teams Association secretary general Oliver Weingarten says the organization collapsed over unpaid subscription fees and a failure to strike an agreement for 2014 with all 11 teams.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The game ball sat innocently in the gold-painted locker, an oblong tribute to a career revival no one saw coming.Not even James Harrison.Two months ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker was retired, weary from more than a decade as one of the NFLs most intimidating players.Now the 36-year-olds unlikely renaissance has his suddenly streaking team poised to make a run.From the couch to a fixture in the Baltimore Ravens backfield in all of eight weeks. Hardly the play of a guy whos lost a step, even if the five-time Pro Bowler is trying to downplay his re-emergence as the teeth of a pass rush that has rediscovered its inner snarling self.As old and slow as I am, (God) is driving the bus, Harrison said.Whoever is at the controls, the results feel awfully familiar. A half-decade removed from his prime in his first go-round in Pittsburgh, Harrison is back to doing James Harrison-type things as coach Mike Tomlin put it.Namely, creating havoc.A year after a quiet season in Cincinnati that seemed anticlimactic and sort of odd, Harrison is validating his decision to come back for a final go-round with the Steelers one foray across the line of scrimmage at a time.He has four sacks in his past two games, including a pair in a surprisingly easy 43-23 victory over the Ravens on Sunday night that pushed the Steelers to 6-3 heading into a trip to New York to face the struggling Jets.The player who served as a largely ineffective pass-rushing specialist with the Bengals in 2013 has multiple sacks in consecutive games for the first time since 2009, when he was one of the most dominant defensive presences in the league.Thats a lifetime ago by NFL standards, though Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay dismisses the notion that the expiration date on Harrisons effectiveness has long since passed.Thats crazy how we use the words old man, Gay said. (Harrison) is not old. Hes the strongest person in the league. Ill put any type of money on that.The proof is in Harrisons busy Twitter and Instagram accounts. Hours after beating the Ravens, Harrison was posting video of himself lifting the equivalent of a small pickup truck.On Tuesday, he did push-ups with 303-pound Steelers centre Maurkice Pouncey lounging on his back.Its that diligent commitment to his body that has enabled Harrison to say yes when the Steelers called him in mid-September after linebackers Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier went down with injuries.Though Harrison had announced his retirement two weeks earlier during a brief ceremony at the team headquarters, he couldnt resist when his phone started ringing with old friends asking if he wanted to get the gang back together for one last run.ddddddddddddHarrison insists he did nothing football specific during the nine months he was away from the game.I hadnt really planned on playing again, he said. Everything I did was just working out and staying in shape because I like to work out, thats about it.The first few weeks were unkind. Though he wont get specific, Harrison allows hed put on weight during his extended off-season. He looked like a player whose best days were in the rearview mirror as the Steelers eased him back into the lineup.He was a nonfactor for a month, his No. 92 largely invisible as Pittsburghs defence struggled to generate any of the chaos that has long been its trademark.There was no panic. Instead Harrison quietly went about his business, working his way back into football shape and mentoring younger teammates such as Arthur Moats. Harrison remained confident if the Steelers could find a way to play from ahead, the menace would return.The first glimmer came against the Colts. Up 25 points in the second quarter, defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau started to get exotic with his blitz packages. The results were two Harrison sacks of Indianapolis Andrew Luck.I felt like we were meshing a little better, Harrison said. We got a lead and when youve got a lead youve got the opportunity to pin your ears back and take off.At the moment, Harrison is soaring. He put together perhaps his finest game this decade against the Ravens. He sacked the Ravens Joe Flacco in the first quarter to cut short a Baltimore drive.He was chasing down Flacco in the second quarter, forcing Flacco into an inexplicable throw to nowhere that Jason Worilds picked off and returned 30 yards to set up the second of Ben Roethlisbergers six touchdown passes.While he left briefly with a sprained MCL in his right knee, Harrison returned to another sack in the third quarter, grabbing Flacco by the ankle to force the Ravens to punt with the game still in doubt. Though Flacco said he cant tell who it is out there, his coach certainly noticed.I thought 92 looked really good, John Harbaugh said.So did the rest of the Pittsburgh defence. Its not a coincidence, even as Harrison stresses plenty of work remains. And no matter how the next seven games go, this is his final go-round.Obviously everything happens for a reason, he said. I guess this is the road I was supposed to take.___Online: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '