Bergbau » occupied the visitors locker room this week before

Saint Marys College begins the most promising season in school history with a challenging opener, a Friday night (11 p.m. ET) home contest against Nevada, another team with high hopes.The Gaels are ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll for the first time, coming in at No. 17, and they are picked to finish second behind Gonzaga in the preseason West Coast Conference coaches poll.Its easy to see why expectations are high.The Gaels return all five starters from a squad that last season tied for the WCC regular-season title, beat Gonzaga twice and set a school record for wins while going 29-6.Despite all that, St. Marys failed to get an NCAA Tournament bid, something that seems well within reach this season.Dealing with such high expectations is something new for the tiny school located in rural Moraga, Calif., and its new for Randy Bennett, who is beginning his 16th season as the Gaels head coach. He is trying to avoid the big-picture possibilities and focus on the little things that got St. Marys to this intersection.Even as attention multiplies, the Gaels are going with their we first mantra.When asked to name his No. 1 goal, Bennett said, I think just be who we are, try to be better all the time. Were trying to stay focused as opposed to worrying about rankings.The Gaels must stay true to their reliance on patience, sound fundamentals and excellent three-point shooting. They are not going to overwhelm anyone with athleticism.That identity will be tested in the opener against an athletic Nevada squad that made remarkable progress last season in Eric Musselmans first year as the Wolf Packs head coach.Musselman, who had been the head coach of two NBA teams (Golden State and Sacramento), transformed a Nevada team that had won just nine games the year before he arrived into a 24-win team that won the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament last season. With four starters returning, the Wolf Pack were picked by the media to finish second in the Mountain West Conference this season, behind San Diego State.Nevada has one player who could present major problems for the Gaels -- sophomore forward Cameron Oliver, who was named to the Mountain Wests preseason all-conference team after averaging 13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.61 blocks as a freshman.Obviously he had an unbelievable freshman season, said Musselman. Cam is a great, great shot-blocker. Hes an elite floor-runner. He proved last year he can knock the three down.Sometimes Cam doesnt know how good he can be in the post. We want to continue to throw the ball down to him in the post like we did in the CBI (when Oliver averaged 19.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in six games).Musselman is concerned about his teams defense, and that could be a problem against a St. Marys team that last season led the nation in field goal percentage (50.4) and was ninth in three-point percentage (40.6).Nearly every St. Marys starter can shoot from long range, and Stefan Gonzalez returns after hitting 52.6 percent of his threes (40 of 76) while coming off the bench a year ago.Three St. Marys players -- Emmett Naar, Dan Pineau and Joe Rahon -- were named to the WCCs 10-man preseason all-conference squad. Naar and Pineau are two of the seven Australian players on the Gaels roster, which is perennially filled with players from Down Under. Asics Shoes Sale Australia . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Buy Asics Shoes Online Australia .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. http://www.cheapaustraliaasics.com/ . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Asics Clearance Shoes Australia . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Asics Shoes Online Australia . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper returned to the lineup, but neither his bat nor spot starter A.J. Cole helped the Washington Nationals in their pursuit of home-field advantage opening the playoffs.Christian Yelich homered and Dee Gordons infield single in the sixth inning scored the go-ahead run as the Miami Marlins beat the NL East champion Nationals 6-4 on Friday night.The game began following a 1 hour, 43 minute rain delay. The series opener came a day after a memorial service in Florida for Jose Fernandez. The Marlins ace died in a boating accident Sunday.Washington entered its final series of the season with a two-game lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers for home field advantage in the NL Division Series. Los Angeles played at San Francisco on Friday night.Harper went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in his return to the Nationals lineup after sitting out the previous four days with a left thumb injury.He was rusty, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of the right fielder. Weve got to get that rust off him before we start the playoffs.Harper said of his plate appearances, I felt great. My swing felt great.Anthony Rendon and Stephen Drew hit back-to-back home runs for Washington in a four-run fourth after Miami scored twice in the top of the inning for a 4-0 lead.Miami used five relievers including Mike Dunn (6-1). A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 40th save.Sammy Solis (2-4) allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings for Washington.The Nationals honored Fernandez with a pregame video montage, by placing his No. 16 behind the pitchers mound and his jersey in their dugout. A mutual tipping of the caps across the field between players from both teams occurred as well.Nice touch by the Nationals, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of the mound gesture. It seems like everyone has that feel for Jose. The way he carried himself and the fun that he had was really what you loved so much about him, that little kid, and that part is what seems like has taken hold on a lot of people around baseball and a lot of people around the country.Neither starting pitcher went beyond four innings and both allowed four runs. Two runs off Cole, the first of eight pitchers for Washington, were unearned.Cole, who lasted three innings, is awaiting appeal of his five-game suspension for thhrowing behind Pittsburghs Jung Ho Kang on Sunday.ddddddddddddMiamis Andrew Cashner unraveled in the fourth, allowing five hits and one walk. Jose Lobotons RBI double and Trea Turners run-scoring single in the fourth tied the game 4-4.Over the final five innings, the Nationals went 0 for 15 with 10 strikeouts and one walk.Left fielder Jayson Werth left as a precaution in the seventh inning with back tightness. He anticipates playing Saturday.Were playing for home-field advantage, which is important. But once you win the division, theres that exhale and sigh of relief, Werth said. Theres a balance there and you err on the side of caution.Yelich drove in two runs. Justin Bour had a double and two RBI singles and he scored on the hustling Gordons single off Oliver Perez.Rendon became the sixth National with at least 20 home runs this season. The 1965 Milwaukee Braves, 2003 Atlanta Braves and 2016 St. Louis Cardinals, who reached the mark later Friday, are the only other NL teams in history with six 20-plus homers.HEARTFELT MESSAGEThe Arizona Diamondbacks occupied the visitors locker room this week before Miami arrived. When the Marlins arrived, they found a touching note on a dry erase board regarding the loss of Fernandez. Dee Gordon had the most important HR of the year. Good luck fellas. Were (sic) praying for you. RIP. JF 16 -- DBacks.BABY ON BOARDNationals OF Chris Heisey is away from the team as he returned home for the birth of his second child. He is the second player on the team to leave for this reason in recent weeks. This team is a baby-making team, Baker cracked. Heisey is expected back in Washington on Saturday.TRAINERS ROOMMarlins: Mattingly said LHP Adam Conley, who came off the DL on Monday to throw three shutout innings, will be available the last two days of the season. Conley missed more than six weeks with a finger injury.Nationals: 2B Daniel Murphy (glute muscle), who last began a game on Sept. 17, isnt expected back in the starting lineup until Game 1 of the NLDS.UP NEXTMarlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen (5-4, 5.02) is set to face Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (15-10, 2.86), who needs a win to set a career-high. ' ' '