as of the sport we wish to see the biggest improvements.As the salary cap in the NRL increases, and Rugby Union in this country seems to get richer, we need

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles keep finding ways to remain in the playoff chase.They recorded shutout victories in the first two contests of this weekend series with the New York Yankees and will try to complete a sweep when the American League East rivals meet on Sunday.The Orioles (74-61) posted an 8-0 and 2-0 victory over the Yankees (69-65) and moved back to within two games of first-place Toronto and Boston.But the Blue Jays have dropped the first two games of their series with Tampa Bay, which let the Orioles pull closer. Theyre also now one game ahead of Detroit in the wild-card race as the Tigers fell on Saturday and three up on Houston, who also lost.Even though the Orioles have experience problems with consistency on offense and pitching, theyve been able to put things together enough times to remain close. They just keep fighting.Very quietly these guys have grinded out the things that theyre good at, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Thats why weve got a chance here in September.In this series, Dylan Bundy started and threw 5 2/3 shutout innings Friday while Kevin Gausman blanked New York for six frames the following day. The Orioles havent allowed a run yet in this series.Theyll try to keep rolling on Sunday.Wade Miley (8-11, 5.43 ERA) makes the start for the Orioles. Hes struggled since coming over from the Mariners on July 31 but pitched better in his last few starts, losing 5-1 to the Blue Jays last Monday.Michael Pineda (6-11, 5.12) will go for the Yankees, and hes also run into troubles this season. The right-hander is winless in his last four starts, going 0-1 with a 4.84 ERA.The Yankees will get more news in a few days on right-hander Chad Green, who started but left Fridays game with elbow pain. They said hes dealing with a sprained right UCL, a strained flexor tendon and is going to see a doctor Monday.Manager Joe Girardi said Green probably wont be pitching for a while, and the Yankees will have to decide what to do when his spot comes up Wednesday.The next couple of days hell just undergo treatment, Girardi said. There could be a number of different scenarios we use Wednesday.Sundays game also is going to be the final one for first baseman Mark Teixeira, who comes from nearby Annapolis, Md., and played his high school baseball about 20 minutes from Camden Yards. Hes retiring after this season.Teixeira still gets regularly booed at the stadium but said it does not worry him.You know, honestly, when you play a long time, it really doesnt bother you at all, Teixeira said. I mean, the fact that they still understand that Im on the field is pretty good considering the season Ive had.Also on Saturday, rookie phenom Gary Sanchez won American League Rookie and Player of the Month honors for August, something no catcher had ever done before.Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. USA Soccer Pro Shop . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Cheap USA Soccer Jerseys . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed.In this weeks column, Sky Sports Phil Clarke says Super League needs to bring reserve teams back if they are to compete with NRL sides...As Ive grown older Ive come to realise that sometimes its best to sleep on it before you make a comment or decision. Were all guilty of over reacting at times when we make irrational or emotional statements which dont really make sense.The 3-0 whitewash in the World Club Series was a sobering experience for those who thought that the Super League sides could match their NRL rivals. Much was written and said about this last week. One week on, the dust has settled and Ive had time to gather my thoughts. The results didnt really surprise me. The NRL teams should win - we are naive if we think that we have club teams that are better than theirs. Internationally we have 25 players who are competitive with their best, but several of these are playing in the NRL.At junior level they have more players to choose from, many of which have physiological advantages over our players, more money, greater media and public interest, and a stronger competition which raises the standard across the league. For the last three years the Super League clubs havent had a second or reserve team, and it has had a detrimental effect on the development of the sport. The gap with the NRL has been made wider. Phil Clarke Additionally, and perhaps more importantly in my eyes, they have more patience with players between 19 and 23 years old, and a better setup that provides these players with some games in which to improve.Fortunately for some of our young players, some clubs over here have elected to reinstate a second-team competition, so at least this is one step towards fixing that gap.We had developed a production line that put time and money into young players aged 15-19 and then had a hole for a few years if the player wasnt already good enough to play in a Super League first team when he reached his 19th birthday. North Queensland Cowboys beat Leeds Rhinos 38-4 in the World Club Challenge For the last three years the Super League clubs havent had a second or reserve team, and it has had a detrimental effect on the development of the sport. The gap with the NRL has been made wider.It was a huge mistake in my opinion and hopefully the sport is learning its lesson. I realise that there are extra costs associated with this but feel as though its a necessity.Theres almost no point in entering three teams into Club Challenges if we dont have second teams at Super League level. More effort needs to be put into making these games as good as they can be. Brisbanes Greg Eden makes a break against Wigan Colin Sanctuary is a friend of mine who is the head of physical development at the Newcastle Knights.dddddddddddd Prior to that he was responsible for the strength and conditioning at Wakefield Wildcats and so has a great position from which to help assess the players from both competitions.Ive chatted with him about this for a long while and he raised a great point about the rate of improvement in both competitions. Biggest hits Watch: Barrie and Terrys biggest hits of the weekend Rugby League is a big sport in Australia and they invest heavily to improve it on and off the field every year. With a smaller budget and fewer players to choose from over here its virtually impossible to narrow the gap on every front.Colin is an intelligent man and said that with limited resources we need to be very clever in identifying what areas of the sport we wish to see the biggest improvements.As the salary cap in the NRL increases, and Rugby Union in this country seems to get richer, we need to have a clear idea of what the sport sees as its most important goals over the next 10 years. Stevo has called for English rugby league to go back to basics Some of the issues that determine the strength of the NRL over the Super League are out of our control. Running a reserves team at every Super League club isnt.The World Club Series proved to be a popular event and the crowds enjoyed the matches, although they didnt enjoy the results. They also gave the players a goal to aim for during the season, a chance to play against the best in the world, but we have to be realistic with our expectations.The optimist in me is looking forward to WCS III in February 2017, not because I expect us to win, but because I like to cheer for the underdog, and its the greatest feeling when they win.I love the concept and hope the games are closer in 12 months time but in the meantime I am going to watch a few reserve team matches. Get a Sky Sports Pass Watch the Super League without a contract, from ￡6.99 with NOW TV.Also See:Rovers and Chester part waysRhinos v Giants: Key battlesPunditsFollow @SkySportsRL ' ' '