Allgemeines » "That was a special

LONDON -- Croatian player Marin Cilic was handed a nine-month suspension by the International Tennis Federation on Monday after testing positive for a banned substance. The suspension was back-dated to May 1 and will last through Jan. 31, 2014. Cilic tested positive for nikethamide, a stimulant, at a tournament in Munich last spring. The ITF said it accepted the players contention that he ingested the substance inadvertently in glucose tablets and was not trying to cheat. As a result, the ITF gave him a reduced penalty rather than a ban of up to two years. "Mr. Cilic asserted that the nikethamide, for which he did not hold a valid TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption), had entered his system through his ingestion of Coramine glucose tablets that had been purchased on his behalf from a pharmacy," the ITF said in a statement. "The Independent Tribunal found that Mr Cilic ingested the nikethamide inadvertently as a result of taking the Coramine glucose tablets, and did not intend to enhance his performance in doing so." The 24-year-old Cilic, who reached a career-best ranking of No. 9 in 2010, has not played since pulling out from Wimbledon in June before a second-round match, citing a left knee injury. He has since missed the U.S. Open and will also be ineligible for the Australian Open in January. The ITF said Cilic will lose all his results, ranking points and prize money since the Munich tournament. His best result since Munich was a runner-up finish at the Queens Club grass-court tournament, where he lost to Andy Murray. Cilic said in a statement he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. He said the banned substance came from a glucose tablet purchased at a pharmacy in France. "Unbeknownst to me, the glucose tablets contained a substance that is banned in-competition (although it is allowed out-of-competition)," he said. "I wish to emphasize that I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any banned substances in my life and that I am opposed to any use of performance-enhancing substances in sport," Cilic added. Cilic said he isnt able to comment further until the legal process is completed. Air Max Cheap Sale .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. Nike Air Max Online Store .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday. http://www.airmaxtrainerswholesale.com/ . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Air Max 2018 .Leicester won 25-21 in a heated European Rugby Champions Cup group match on Sunday.Toulon said on its website on Wednesday that it decided to open an investigation after Leicester complained about the behaviour of prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fullback Delon Armitage. Clearance Air Max Shoes . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4).Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Steve Nash, the Spirits handling of Terry Traffords passing, Ralph Krueger and NHL shootouts. Bruce Arthur, the National Post: My thumb is up to Steve Nash, who was shut down this week with nerve pain, which has been limiting him since a harmless-looking collision early last year. Hes only played 10 games for the Lakers this season and he looked like himself once. If this isnt the end of his 18-year career, then were getting close. So why thumbs up? Because of how hes facing it. Nash is making short films for ESPNs Grantland that are incredibly honest - jarringly so, at times - about what its like to face your athletic mortality and was incredibly honest again when I spoke to him this week. Nash and I are the same age; we both came from B.C.; we both played basketball and thats where the comparison ends. And again, hes showing me what it would be like. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the eerie silence that has engulfed the Saginaw Spirit in the tragic wake of the passing of 20-year-old Terry Trafford.There are questions here – but, to date, no answers coming from the prominent junior hockey people, coach Greg Gilbert or general manager Jim Paliafito. We know, from Traffords father, that the Spirit sent Terry home for what Roy Trafford calls “disciplinary reasons.” And we know, from the same conversation, that the time away from the team was supposed to be temporary, a few days. Then something changed. What changed? We dont know. Telephone messages were left informing Trafford that he was no longerr welcome to return to the team.dddddddddddd What we dont know and may never know - is why. To date, the only people who have those answers arent sharing them. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: Forget the Dos Equis guy. My thumb is up to the truly most interesting man in the world, Ralph Krueger. Less than a month after being the big-ice guru for the Canadian mens Olympic hockey team, Krueger has switched continents and sports. He is now chairman of Southampton FC, having jumped to the rarified world of English Premier League soccer without prior experience in the game. Krueger can match resumes with anyone. The Manitoban played pro hockey in Germany, built the Swiss national program, coached the Edmonton Oilers before his premature firing and boosted Team Canada. He also is an active member of the World Economic Forum. Now, soccer. Bartender, Ill drink what Kruegers drinking. Dave Hodge, TSN: Thumbs down to the NHL and its inability to deal with its dislike of the shootout. At the GMs meetings in Florida, the NHL continued to look for ways to decrease the number of shootouts. One way would be to change overtime from four-on-four to three-on-three, but if youre making a list of ideas that are less popular than the shootout, start there. The NHL will consider a change of ends for overtime to put skaters farther from their benches, as they are in the second period, which, statistically, is the highest-scoring of the three periods. Okay. Keep trying. The easy solution would be for the NHL to give up and decide it likes the shootout. Oh, but as with visits from grandpa, it does - there just shouldnt be too many of them. ' ' '