ase, with Matt Holliday in left field. Top prospect Oscar Taveras is expec | Forum

CAGLIARI, Italy -- Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani struggled but prevailed in the opening singles against Russian debutants to put Italy on the brink of a fourth Fed Cup title on Saturday. New Balance Mt580 Pas Cher . Vinci, the winner of nine WTA singles titles, overcame a surprisingly tough challenge from Alexandra Panova, who reached a WTA final once. Vinci rallied from 5-2 down in the second set and saved four match points to win 5-7, 7-5, 8-6 in 3 hours, 13 minutes. "It was an incredible match, was a tough match," Vinci said. "At the end I had a little bit of cramp but I won a great match. There was a lot of ups and downs and I tried to stay focused on every single point. It wasnt easy. "At the end she got a little bit tired. It was her first time (in Fed Cup) so probably there was a bit of nerves. I won and Im happy. I had a great season but I think this is a fantastic win. I love to play Fed Cup and this was an important match, incredible for me." Errani, playing in her second Fed Cup final, suffered somewhat in the second set before defeating Irina Khromacheva, also making her cup debut in the final, 6-1, 6-4. Russia has won the tournament four times in the past 10 years but has travelled to Italy without any of its top players, with some of them injured and some instead playing in the Tournament of Champions in Bulgaria. Italy needs one more victory on Sunday to add to its Fed Cup titles in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Errani takes on Panova in the first of the reverse singles. "I dropped a bit in the second, I was very tired, maybe from Vincis match," Errani said. "Also the weather at night is a bit more heavy so it was not easy for me but Im very happy to have won this point. "I can play much better, of course. Theres a lot of tension. Its never easy to play in Fed Cup especially when youre the favourite like this." Russias youngsters showed theyd come to play when Panova brushed off an early break to win the first set with a love game. Panova continued to dominate and held three match points at 5-2 in the second set. But with teammates Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp furiously urging her on, Vinci managed to avoid being broken for a sixth successive time. That sparked the turnaround, as the Italian won the next seven games. But Panova again fought back and had another match point at 5-4 in the final set but hit a backhand wide. Vinci wasted her first match point when she hit a forehand long but secured the victory when Panova put a backhand volley wide, leaving the Italian in tears of joy. "The match is definitely up there in my top three," Panova said. "I had a couple of similar matches that were important and close and long and very tiring. "My serve wasnt with me today because I had a very low percentage of first serves and only one ace. So I had to play every point in a rally and thats not what I usually do. Im not very happy with my serve and I was losing my serve when I was serving for the match and during the set." Seventh-ranked Errani won the opening set comfortably but No. 236 Khromacheva seemed to grow in confidence and earned her first break in their match when Errani lobbed long after three delightful drop shot winners from the Russian. But Khromacheva failed to hold her service game and, although she broke again, a double fault handed Errani another break. From that point, Errani cruised, winning the next three games and sealing the match with a powerful forehand. New Balance m574 Bordeaux . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. http://www.chaussuresnbpascher.fr/new-balance-990.html . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. http://www.chaussuresnbpascher.fr/new-balance-891.html . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. ST. LOUIS -- Former World Series MVP David Freese was traded by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Angels in a four-player deal Friday that reunites Albert Pujols with a pair of ex-teammates. In a conference call with media, Freese said he got a welcoming text from Pujols and responded with a reference to the 2011 World Series: "Remember what we did the last time we played together? Lets go try to do that again." Freese didnt think his drop-off in production last season had anything to do with the pressure of being the "hometown kid." "Obviously, Im a little sad closing this chapter, but Im extremely pumped about joining the Angels," Freese said. "If it was going to go down, I wanted it to happen on a team like the Angels." St. Louis obtained a new starting centre fielder in Peter Bourjos, plus outfield prospect Randal Grichuk. The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels. "Overall, we just felt this was a very compelling deal to make," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. Freeses departure did not come as a surprise. "I definitely would look myself in the mirror and say, Where am I going to be in March?" Freese said. "I was ready to go anywhere. Im excited to get this going." The 30-year-old was the MVP of the 2011 NL championship series and the World Series, setting a major league record with 21 post-season RBIs and hitting a game-ending, 11th-inning home run in Game 6. Freese injured his back chasing a foul ball into the stands during spring training this year and never hit stride. He hit only .179 in this years post-season, going 3-for-19 (.158) with no RBIs in the six-game loss to Boston in the World Series. "David, growing up in St. Louis, this could not have been the easiest place to play," Mozeliak said. "I do think he may be looking forward to a fresh start. This was not an easy year for him." Freese batted .262 with nine homers and 60 RBIs, a letdown from career bests of 20 homers, 79 RBIs and a .293 average the previous year. Freese made $3.15 million and is eligible for salary arbitration. "He knows how to drive in the important runs," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Thats something that really fits in our lineup." The Angels were a match because they need a third baseman and Freese didnt figure as the long-term solution at third for St. Louis. The Cardinals will move second baseman Matt Carpenter to third, opening a position for former top draft pick Kolten Wong. Wong batted just .153 in 32 games last fall and was picked off first base to end Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox. Mozeliak said that was just a "snapshot" of Wong, who batted .303 with 20 steals in 21 chances at Triple-A Memphis. "It gives Wong a clear shot," Mozeliak said. "I think hes going to hit." Pujols also played on the 20111 title team before signing a $240 million, 10-year deal with the Angels. New Balance 574 Homme Bleu Marine. Bourjos said Pujols called him just before the start of a teleconference with St. Louis media and Bourjos planned to call back later, adding, "Im going to pick his brain a little bit more, but I cant wait." The trade adds about $4 million to the payroll of the Angels, who have yet to add starting pitching. Jason Vargas left this week for a $32 million, four-year contract with Kansas City. The Angels havent had an accomplished third baseman since Chone Figgins left after the 2009 -- their last post-season appearance. Their outfield next season is likely to be Josh Hamiliton in left, Trout in centre and Kole Calhoun in right. Coming off their second World Series appearance in three years, the Cardinals have shed more than $45 million in payroll with Chris Carpenter, Carlos Beltran, Jake Westbrook, Rafael Furcal and Edward Mujica also off the books. The 28-year-old Salas had 24 saves in 2011, but did not have a major role in the bullpen the last two years and spent part of 2013 in the minors. He was 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games last year. The 26-year-old Bourjos, who bumps Jon Jay to the bench, was supposed to be the Angels everyday centre fielder last year after Los Angeles allowed Torii Hunter to leave and traded Kendrys Morales. Trout was moved to left to accommodate Bourjos, who is a better fielder. "We did juggle some things around to make sure he got an opportunity, and it didnt play out the way we hoped or the way he hoped," Dipoto said. Bourjos missed May with a hamstring strain, then broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Houston on June 29. He played just 55 games, said he was "getting real close" to full strength. A career .251 hitter with speed, Bourjos stole 41 bases in 54 attempts and was among AL leaders with 11 triples, 17 bunt hits and 38 infield hits in 2011. Allen Craig will move to right field next year, making room for slugger Matt Adams at first base, with Matt Holliday in left field. Top prospect Oscar Taveras is expected to make the team but without the pressure of starting in centre field. The 22-year-old Grichuk was the 24th overall selection in the 2009 amateur draft, one ahead of Mike Trout, and starred at Double-A Arkansas last season. Dipoto said Grichuk likely would have begun next season at the Triple-A level. "Theres still some growing he needs to do at the plate, but Randal has the upside to play at the major league level," Dipoto said. "I hope he ends up a major league player." Grichuk had 57 extra-base hits, including a team-leading 22 homers that ranked sixth in the Texas League. He batted leadoff the majority of the time and made two errors in the outfield, playing centre and right field. Grichuk has a .284 average with 61 homers and 259 RBIs in 433 minor league games. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '