Scooter Tuning Pics » Canadian flag, with a smaller inset dep

Baseball has one of the best fan experience in sports, and 20 years ago today that was taken away from the people that love it the most. Strikes and lockouts have not been a rarity in the professional sports world, but there is one that many will not forget. The 1994 Major League Baseball Players strike, which led the sport to lose its entire postseason due to a labour dispute, the first time that happened in a North American sports league. One of the main disputes that caused the Players to walk off the job was that the Owners wanted to install a salary cap, while the players opposed the idea. That disagreement plus a few others, led to a 232-day strike, cancelling not only the remainder of the regular season but also the postseason. The Montreal Expos were arguably the team that suffered the most; they had the best record in baseball, 74-40, despite having the second lowest payroll. They were six games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East Division when the season came to a halt. Success in strike years was not something new for the Expos, the only time the team punched their ticket to the playoffs was in 1981, during the last significant players strike. Following the resumption of the sport, the Expos moved a lot of their star players, which lead to an even bigger erosion of the fan base. Montreal was not the only market hit hard by the stoppage, many fans around the league decided to opt out of games when the players returned to the field. Attendance was at an all-time low, dropping 20% from the previous season. In 1994, prior to the strike, the average attendance was 31,256 in 1,600 games, while in 2,016 regular season games of the 1995 season they drew an average of 25,008 fans. Interest in the game was slow to return until the 1998 season when Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire started hitting home runs at record paces. The two sluggers may be the reason the love for baseball returned, their chase for the all-time single season home-run record grabbed the attention of former and current die-hard fans as well as casual viewers. The two players were looking to surpass New York Yankee Roger Maris record of 61 homers which he hit during the 1961 season. Both men had a competitive drive, but their personalities and newly formed friendship also helped them grab peoples attention. Maris single season record fell that year as Mark McGwire finished with 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa ended the season with 66 round trippers and though those marks have since been cast into doubt, there is no question about the lasting effect their work that season had on restoring fans of the game. Its been 20 years since the strike, how long did it take you to forgive baseball and come back? As always its Your! Call. Detroit Tigers Jerseys . The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. Leonys Martin Jersey . The Laval Rouge et Or defensive back/kick-returner gained the invitation following his showing Sunday at an NFL regional combine in Baltimore. http://www.tigersgearshop.com/Tigers-Jei...io-Kids-Jersey/. -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops. Jose Iglesias Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Lance Parrish Jersey . The Yankees made the moves before Tuesdays game against Baltimore. Robertson was listed retroactive to Monday. Robertson posted two saves in three games as the replacement for retired Yankees closer Mariano Rivera before getting hurt.Jaris grief and guilt over Anias death became too much for him to handle. So, a few months after her passing, in the fall and winter of 2007, he shut down in every way imaginable—physically, mentally and emotionally. He virtually locked himself away in his condo on Lake Shore Boulevard West. He rarely showered or shaved. He barely ate. He communicated with no one, not even with his dearest friends or famous NHL clients like Jason Spezza or Brent Burns or their families, whom hed known since theyd come to him as young kids, age 11 for Spezza, age eight for Burns.Jari Byrski just went off the grid and into a deep pit of despair. "I went down, down, down," Byrski said. "It was horrible. My guilt was overwhelming. I wasnt able to do anything, see anyone. There was too much pain to go back to the rink and talk about it, to talk about Ania. I just couldnt cope with the pain."There were many days in that fall and winter of 2007, during what amounted to a four-month moratorium on living, when Byrski thought he would be better off dead. He would go to the apartments solarium, open the door to the balcony and look down the 33 floors to the ground below and wonder if that was all that was left for him. "I cant tell you how many times I said, This is it, Im going to jump. I already felt as though I had died. I already felt as though I had already landed on the ground. I was already dead inside. Ania meant so much to me. I was not comfortable with the guilt I had. All my love could not help her with the cancer. The doctors gave her three months to live; it turned out to be 13 months. But to see her suffer like she did, the last two or three months, it was awful. She wanted to die at home, but I did that all wrong. It was terrible. I had guilt about that. I worked too much when she was alive and healthy. I felt guilt for that. So much guilt, about everything."Byrski isnt sure why he didnt jump off his balcony to end it all, doesnt know exactly what held him back. Hes not even sure why he happened to have the TV on that day after New Years Day in 2008. But there he was, sitting in an almost catatonic daze on his leather couch, seemingly incapable of caring about anything. But then he heard a familiar voice coming from the television, an old friend, talking about Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and, in particular, a goal by Stamkos, who had first come to Byrski for skating and skill instruction when he was just 10 years old.Something twigged inside him."I knew the person who was analyzing the game [on TV], I knew the boy who scored the goal ... I dont know why, because I had no interesst in anything, but I took some interest in this, so I kept watching, getting more interested," said Byrski.ddddddddddddhe Stamkos goal—scored at 2:20 of the third period, the third of Canadas four goals in a 4–3 quarter-final victory over Finland at the 2008 WJC—rekindled a fire within Byrski. Slowly but surely, he started to care again. He was actually inspired. He could feel energy returning to his body and soul. It was during the next few days of that tournament that he went back to one of his great passions in life: painting, expressing himself through art.Byrski painted a picture of Stamkos, his arms aloft after scoring "The Goal," set against a backdrop of a big Canadian flag, with a smaller inset depiction of Stamkos shooting the puck,a gold medal and the flags of the participating countries on little pucks.On the reverse side of the painting, Byrski penned a deeply personal poem, not only as a tribute to Stamkos, who was months away from becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and bona fide pro hockey superstar, but as an expression of gratitude for the young man unknowingly saving a life, his life:You stood at the top of the mountain, Wrapped in a golden and joyful fountain. Admired by the world around, Bringing and sharing the moment with us so profound. With a smile on youthful face,Touching us all in your embrace. Reaching with grace to your dream,Being part of something greater than teams.When your life with that spark,Can bring the light to what was dark,Can bring the feeling of being partOf your talents, gift and open heart.Giving your warmth to the world that became too cold.Thank you . . . Jari.Not long after he completed the painting and inscription, Byrski, back from the brink, met with Stamkos and gave him the painting."I gave it to him, I think it was in February or March," Byrski said, "and it was at that moment I decided Im going back to my life. That was the turning point. There was no looking back. . . . I decided then thats who I am, thats who I have to be."Stamkos was well aware his friend Jari had experienced difficulty dealing with the death of Ania, but never could have imagined the depth of it, how desperate and depressed Jari had become. Stamkos, at age 17, couldnt possibly have known how important the painting and poem were in restoring a shattered life."When I hear that [story] now," Stamkos said, "I get chills thinking about it."Excerpt from Hockey Confidential: Inside Stories from People Inside the Game by Bob McKenzie ©2014. Published by Harper Collins Canada. All rights reserved. Cheap Bruins Jerseys Wholesale Sabres Jerseys Red Wings Jerseys From China Wholesale Canadiens Jerseys Wholesale Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Discount Hurricanes Jerseys Blue Jackets Jerseys Outlet Adidas Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Rangers Jerseys From China Discount Flyers Jerseys Discount Penguins Jerseys Discount Capitals Jerseys Wholesale Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Team USA Hockey Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Wholesale Wild Jerseys Discount Predators Jerseys Discount Blues Jerseys Discount Ducks Jerseys Adidas Coyotes Jerseys Flames Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Oilers Jerseys Discount Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Golden Knights Jerseys Outlet Authentic NHL Winter Classic Jerseys ' ' '