ders -- Fabian Cancellara and then eventual winner Bradle

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Elvis Andrus refuses to be defined by what happened last October, and those two errors the Texas Rangers shortstop made on routine plays.There was the misplayed grounder in that disastrous seventh inning of the ALDS-deciding fifth game at Toronto. Later came a dropped throw on what would have been a sure force out in the inning punctuated by Jose Bautistas go-ahead homer and emphatic bat flip .Tears flowed from Andrus eyes after that loss, a gut-punch finish likely just short of the feeling the Rangers had in 2011 after twice coming within a strike of winning their first World Series.But out of that also came a fresh determination and drive for Andrus, who at 28 and in his eighth season is the teams longest-tenured position player.I put it on my shoulder, and Im built for that. I knew it was going to be a challenging year for me, Andrus said. But at the same time I was excited, I was excited to actually how see what I was made of, and the regular season is the first step. I think that Im way more ready for the postseason this year.The AL West champion Rangers, in the playoffs for the fifth time in seven years, clinched home-field advantage for the entire postseason. They host Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Thursday against the Blue Jays, who beat Baltimore 5-2 in an 11-inning AL wild-card game Tuesday night.With a career-best .302 batting average in the regular season, Andrus had his first .300 season. He also had career highs with eight home runs , 69 RBI and 46 extra-base hits, and his 70 strikeouts were the fewest in his career.Andrus views and treats third baseman Adrian Beltre like a big brother -- Im the one being annoying, Andrus said with a smile, a reference to some of their often entertaining interactions on the field and in the dugout.Beltre knows what happened to Andrus in Toronto last year could have happened to anybody.We talked about it after that happened, and that kind of pushed him to learn from that mistake and have more motivation to come this year and do what he did, Beltre said. This year has been really good for him, and it was nice to see that instead of breaking him, it kind of made him stronger. Elvis has a really good mentality.General manager Jon Daniels said it still stands out to him, seeing an emotional and accountable Andrus at his locker after that season-ending loss, answering every question candidly. He said his shortstop immediately embraced the idea that he wanted to work to get better.Daniels also spoke this week about Andrus taking more of a leadership role this season with younger players on the team, like Beltre and former teammate and current Rangers special assistant Michael Young have with the shortstop.Elvis works hard every offseason, so that part isnt new, Daniels said. Elvis has been to the postseason a lot. ... Since hes been here, hes only been on winning teams, and I think he understands how hard it is, and not to take it for granted. Thats what I saw this winter, was him kind of taking that realization and putting it into action.Andrus has seen the replays of those ALDS errors and that seventh inning a few times, and said it doesnt affect him. Those clips are sure to be shown quite a few times this postseason, as long as the Rangers keep playing.I would like to see that quite a few times, especially before every game, Andrus said. See what it did to me. ... I have no problem with that.More October baseball just makes for a better Elvis comeback.Steve Atwater Youth Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Dalton Risner Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Gary-Zimmerman-Broncos-Jerseys/ . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Dennis Smith Womens Jersey . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Tom Jackson Womens Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. NICE, France -- At the Tour de France, it really isnt a cliche to say that every second counts. As a former winner, Cadel Evans knows that better than most. The 2011 champion was one of the losers Tuesday in the team time trial. Even riding bikes that cost as much as a good second-hand family saloon car, with sharp edges to slice through the air and fancy electric gears, Evans and his teammates still couldnt keep up with two of his main rivals -- Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. Evans surrendered 23 seconds to Froome and 17 to Contador. So early in the Tour -- the team race against the clock was only the fourth of 21 stages -- such small losses are by no means fatal to Evans hopes of finishing on the podium in Paris on July 21. Riders who have bad days in the Pyrenees, in the second week, or on Mont Ventoux and in the Alps, in the third week, could lose far more than that on just one steep climb. Still, Evans was the first to acknowledge that handing this early edge to the big favourites for the overall victory was far from ideal. Somewhere, somehow, Evans now has to make up that lost time if he can. Depending on how the race unfolds, the deficit could force the Australian to try to attack Froome and Contador in the mountains. That will be risky because both are better climbers than Evans. Contador, 30, and Froome, 28, are also a good bit younger than the 36-year-old Australian. "You look to gain every second at this point in the Tour and losing a lot of seconds certainly isnt what I hoped for today and it isnt what I expected," he said. "Weve been put on the back foot and well have to see what opportunities come our way. "The simple analysis is we werent fast enough." That wasnt true of Orica-GreenEdge. The team of six Australians, a Swiss rider, a South African and time-trial specialist Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., made itself at home on the Promenade des Anglais -- "the promenade of the English" -- with the quickest ever team time trial on the 15.5-mile route that went out and back along the famous beachside avenue in the Mediterranean city of Nice. Racing past the palm trees Orica beat Omega Pharma-Quick Step by less than 1 second and Froomes Team Sky by 3 seconds. Oricas average speed of 35.9 mph was the fastest ever for a team time trial at the 110-year-old Tour. According to the race organizers history guide, the previous fastest team time trial was by Discovery Channel, with Lance Armstrong. It averaged 35.6 mph on a course nearly three times as long in 2005. This 100th Tour is the first since Armstrong was last year stripped of his wins from 1999-2005 for serial doping. Setting aside that tainted result, Garmin-Cervelo rode an average speed of 34.5 mph on a 14.3-mile course in 2011. The team event is as much about rhythm and the nine riders working smoothly together as it is about raw speed. In their aerodynamic tear-drop shaped helmets that wouldnt look out of place in Star Trek, the teams set off one after another at four-minute intervals. The riders take turns at the front, pedalling as hard as they can, while their teammates follow in a line, catching their breath in the slipstream before theey go back to the front again.dddddddddddd Mastering the choreography is an art. The strongest riders must make sure not to leave teammates behind. "It was just smooth. When youre going really high speed, its all about keeping it smooth. You know, no champion efforts, no big individual efforts, it is about riding to the strength of the team," Orica rider Stuart OGrady said. Another Orica rider, Simon Gerrans, took over the race lead and the yellow jersey that goes with it. Orica has so far been the standout team at this Tour -- mostly for good reasons but also for bad. Its bus got stuck at the finish line of Stage 1, causing momentary mayhem and making the team the butt of jokes. But it wiped the smile off rivals faces with Gerrans winning Stage 3 and now in yellow thanks to the time trial victory that gave him and two teammates the top three spots in the overall standings. Gerrans took up cycling to help rehabilitate knee injuries he got racing motorbikes. He was introduced to the sport and coached by Phil Anderson, the first Australian to wear the yellow jersey, back in 1981. One of Oricas directors is Matt White -- a former teammate of Armstrong. White last year admitted to involvement in doping when he rode with Armstrongs U.S. Postal Service team. White was banned for six months. The punishment was reduced from two years because White is helping the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigate cycling. White wouldnt get into detail on this Tuesday. "I think everythings been said," he said. "So obviously with ongoing investigations theres nothing more to say about that." After four stages, the Tour has now had three different proud bearers of the yellow jersey. Marcel Kittel and Jan Bakelants wore it before Gerrans. In 2012, the Tour had just two leaders -- Fabian Cancellara and then eventual winner Bradley Wiggins, who took the jersey on Stage 7 and never gave it back. Victorias Ryder Hesjedal was the top Canadian in the overall classification after four stages in 16th place, 17 seconds behind Gerrans. Quebec Citys David Veilleux, riding with Team Europcar, was in 117th place, 15:20 off the pace. Tuft was in 152nd, 26 minutes back. Froome, Wiggins lieutenant last year on Team Sky but now its leader, was buoyant after the time trial. He is starting to sound more comfortable with the mantle of race favourite. "Im feeling like Im really coming into some good form now ahead of the mountains," the Briton said. His aim, of course, is to get the yellow jersey eventually, but not quite yet. The Tour swings westward through Provence to Marseille and then Montpellier on Wednesday and Thursday. Those predominantly flat stages are for sprinters or riders who will be allowed to breakaway because they arent a threat for overall victory. Froome, Contador, Evans and other main contenders will probably be happy to sit safely in the pack before they do battle in the more decisive mountain climbs and two individual time trials later in the race. "It gives us a few more days to be in the peloton and wait until the mountains come, where I feel the team will really excel," Froome said. ' ' '