progress, too.Francona said he does not know when Kluber will throw off the mound.We can set up all we want, but until hes ready we dont want to, Francona saiid.ddddddddddddHell push enough

Taking seven wickets in 11 balls was a complete freak. Every time they nicked it, it went to hand; every time they played across the line, they were out lbw; every time it went in the air, it was caught. I can honestly say that I bowled much better in a match against West Indies in Jamaica, on a rock-hard wicket that was like marble and with a 55-yard boundary straight, when I bowled 50-odd overs and got 0 for 152. Every player in our side came up to shake my hand in our dressing room because I bowled so well.Colin Cowdrey was a lovely man, a fine player, but he was not the strongest of characters and was very, very easily influenced as captain.If I had to choose between sidespin and bounce, Id pick bounce every time.I played in Manchester against a very strong Australian side - Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, Doug Walters, Ian Redpath, Bob Cowper, Paul Sheahan, Barry Jarman - a fabulous side. I bowled 33 overs, 6 for 79, and Im left out the next game. Id just turned 21. I thought: what way is that to bring on a young spinner? They brought Derek Underwood in.John Woodcock said that the three people in the world hed seen that enjoyed the game the most were Derek Randall, Pat Pocock and Garry Sobers.A few years ago a guy came up to me and said, Ive got a night at the Royal Albert Hall in September. Do you fancy doing the opening spot? It was blacked out, with two pin-spot lights into the middle of the stage. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome former Surrey and England cricketer, Pat Pocock. I walk out - 3000 people there, black-tie job - and sang For Once in Your Life by Frank Sinatra. That gave me a bigger buzz than playing in front of 100,000 at Eden Gardens.Getting knocked out by Unders was no crime, but in those days he was nowhere near the bowler that he became. In those days, they used to have the Man-of-the-Match awards split into two parts: bowler of the match and batsman of the match. Basil DOliveira won the batsman of the match and I won the bowler of the match [in Manchester]. We come to the next Test at Lords and we were both left out of the side.Jim Laker and Tony Lock were great bowlers, but the thing that made them even greater was, they bowled on hugely helpful wickets. Not only uncovered wickets but underprepared wickets as well. They turned square. They were masters of their craft, but even more so because of the pitches they played on. You had Laker and Lock, [Alec] Bedser and [Peter] Loader - great bowlers, bowling on result wickets, backed up with good batting, and because of that, Surrey won seven championships on the trot.I got Sobers out nine times, but never in Test matches. Id have liked to have got him out in a Test match.I went over to Transvaal, only for one season, just to see the country. I enjoyed it enormously. The cricket was very strong; a bit lopsided - I didnt see many spinners - but lots of quick bowlers and batsmen.A great big thick stone hit Tony Lock on the back of the head in Guyana [in 1967-68]. Wed just won the series and the crowd were rioting. Gold Leaf, the sponsors, were providing transport. I was with Locky and John Snow, and when the car eventually got through the crowd, there was a hail of bricks and sticks and pebbles and all sorts. We got in and the driver put his hand on the horn and drove straight at the crowd, with everyone leaping out of the way. We got about 100 yards before we stopped in the middle of more rioters throwing missiles toward the ground, thinking the players were still there. We were actually right in the middle of them, and we all slipped down under the seats and carried on.The best three players I bowled at were Richards, Richards and Sobers. Barry first, then Viv.I was one of the bigger spinners of the ball in the country. I used to bowl over the top, so I made the ball bounce a lot. If you put spin and bounce, with control, into your skill set, then youre going to do well on good wickets.The most unfortunate thing about my career was that I didnt play a single Test match between the ages of 29 and 37. If you interview any spinner that played for a long time, theyll tell you those were their prime years. When I was in the best form of my life, I didnt get picked.I never got out as nightwatchman for England, and Im quite proud about that.Day in, day out, in county cricket, Fred Titmus was the best offspinner I ever saw. He was a fantastic bowler, with control and flight and a good swinger. But in Test matches, because he wasnt a big spinner of the ball - and bearing in mind you played on pitches that were prepared for five days, not three - you didnt often have to worry about Fred.Since I was about five, I cant ever remember thinking I wanted to do anything else except play cricket. But all I was at five was keen. It was only about 12 when I thought perhaps I had a chance of playing professionally.I was very lucky. If you think that the average person in the England side today has probably played between 70 and 100 first-class matches - I played 554, so thats quite a lot.I had four people who helped me on my way up: Laker, Lock, Titmus and Lance Gibbs. Among them they had 7500 first-class wickets. I had lots of help and advice. Who have the players got today? Is it surprising weve barely got a spinner good enough for Test cricket?Mike Brearley was the best captain I played under, but the person I most enjoyed playing under was David Gower, by far. When I played under David, Id had over 500 first-class matches. He knew that I knew more about my bowling, and offspin bowling generally, than he would ever know, so he just let me get on with it. I didnt want to have to fight my captain to get the field I wanted.The most important part of your body for deceiving the batsman in the flight is your wrist. The wrist is a forgotten area of spin bowling.When I was first picked for England I was very much aware that there were a lot of senior players around. There havent been too many times in English cricket history when there were more great players in the side: Colin Cowdrey, Kenny Barrington, John Edrich, Geoff Boycott, Tom Graveney, Jim Parks, Alan Knott, John Snow.Dougie Walters was a very difficult player to bowl at for a spinner.I was Titmus understudy. He was a quality bowler, but on that [1967-68 West Indies] tour he didnt bowl very well. I played against the Governors XI, virtually the Test team, and got six wickets for not many runs. Then I played against Barbados, who had nine Test players in their side, and got another six wickets. Suddenly all the press are writing: Is Pat Pocock going to get preferred to Fred? I thought I might be in line for a debut, and then of course he had the accident.Apart from Illy [Ray Illingworth], theres no other offspin bowler whos played more first-class matches than me.Playing in Madras in 72-73, I bowled a slightly short ball to Ajit Wadekar, who got back and cut it for four. Next over, I bowled another one, slightly short, turned slowly, and again he cuts it square. I said to Tony Lewis, the skipper, I want a man out on the leg side in the corner. He said, But hes just hit you for two fours square! I said, I know, but Im not going to give him any more balls to hit. Im going to bowl a stump straighter and a yard fuller, but if I do, I want that fielder out there. He started to grumble and shake his head. It was his third Test match and Id played a couple of hundred first-class matches. I said, Dont argue. Just f****** do it. Ive got a reason.The best offspinner Ive ever seen, on Test match wickets, was Gibbs, because the spin and bounce he got were second to none. Hed always hit the shoulder or splice of the bat.I didnt ever want to play for any other county, but if I had done, Id have liked to have played for Glamorgan - not only because I was born in Wales but when you play for them you feel as though youre playing for more than a county. You feel as though youre playing for a country.Sylvester Clarke was the most feared man in world cricket. Viv Richards went into print saying he didnt like facing him. Viv says he didnt wear a helmet. He bloody did: he wore one twice against Surrey when Sylvester Clarke was playing. Fearsome, fearsome bowler. I played against Roberts, Holding, Daniel, Garner, Marshall, Patterson, Walsh, Ambrose - all of them. I faced Sylvs in the nets on an underprepared wicket, no sightscreen, no one to stop him overstepping. There was nobody as fearsome as Clarkey was. And everybody knew it.I captained Surrey because I felt I had to. Id done it 11 years before I was given the official captains job. I enjoyed the game too much and I didnt want anything to take my enjoyment away. But I looked around and thought there was no one else who could do it. We came second, which isnt too bad, although I did have a guy called Sylvester Clarke up my sleeve.Laker became a good friend. We worked together on commentary. He didnt come up to me and say, Youve got to do this, youve got to do that, but a few times a situation would arise and hed come up and make a suggestion.In the first two-thirds of my career, The Oval was a slow, nothing wicket. You could hardly ever, as a spinner, get the ball to bounce over the top of the stumps. A nightmare. It was the slowest thing you could possibly bowl on. If it did turn, it hit people halfway up the front leg. Then they relaid all the surfaces and it went from one of the slowest, lowest pitches to this rock-hard thing that didnt get off the straight. We even had a stage with Intikhab [Alam] playing and he couldnt get it off the straight. Sometimes we played county games twice on the same pitch to try and get it to turn.Greigy [Tony Greig] was the only player in the side whod have done that [run out Alvin Kallicharran in Guyana]. Umpire Douglas Sang Hue had no option but to give him out. He hadnt called time and he hadnt picked the bails up. There were a few in the side that thought it was beyond the pale, but no one said it. Sobers told Greigy he should leave the ground in his car with him, otherwise he might not make it back to the hotel in one piece.In Karachi, the students burned down the pavilion while we were still inside. The match and tour were called off. Tom Graveney playing a T20 game would be like entering a Rolls-Royce in a stock car race.I got 1607 wickets and John Emburey got 1608, both at 26 apiece, but he bowled 2000 more overs to get that wicket. His home ground was Lords, which, in those days, was an infinitely better place to bowl spinners than The Oval. He was a fine bowler, but he was defensive and I was attacking, and on some wickets I felt I had the edge over him.One year, Boycott had got 1300 runs in nine innings. We were playing Yorkshire at Bradford, and I had Graham Roope on Boycotts shoelaces on the off side, right on top of him. I ran up, bowled him off stump. As he walked past Roopey, he said, I cant play that bowling, me. Roopey told me that, and I said, Roopey, that ball did absolutely nothing. It didnt drift, didnt turn, he just played inside the line.As soon as Id played representative cricket for England Schools - I used to bat No. 5 - I thought I might have a chance.Kenny [Barrington] was a selfish player, but anyone who played like he did was always going to be more consistent than someone like Ted Dexter. He used to restrict himself to three shots, and thats why he didnt get out, whereas Ted played every shot in the book. Kennys going to be more consistent, but Dexter will win you more games.Closey [Brian Close] got one run in 59 minutes [at Old Trafford in 1976] and had the shit knocked out of him. He was in a terrible state when he came in. I got in as nightwatchman in the second innings and I didnt get out that night. Next morning, Im walking out with John Edrich and he asked me, Which end do you fancy? I told him Id have Andy Roberts end as he was a bit of light relief. John pisses himself laughing: I tell you now, if Andy Roberts is light relief then weve got problems. Custom Dave Concepcion Jersey . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Reds Jerseys China . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. http://www.customredsjersey.com/custom-dave-concepcion-jersey-large-162w.html . 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. Wholesale Custom Reds Shirts . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. Joe Morgan Jersey Large . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Cleveland ace Corey Kluber had a long-toss session and Indians right-hander Danny Salazar threw on the side on Friday, providing a pair of encouraging signs for the injury-riddled AL Central champions.The Indians will begin the playoffs with only two healthy veteran starting pitchers; right-handers Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin. Left-hander Rick Merritt made his first big league start Friday at Kansas City after three relief appearances.Cleveland also placed Carlos Carrasco on the 60-day disabled list before the series opener against the Royals, sidelining the right-hander for the rest of the year. Carrasco broke the pinkie finger on his pitching hand when he was hit by a line drive on Sept. 17.Kluber, the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner, left his start Monday with a strained quadriceps. Salazar, an All-Star selection this year, has a forearm strain.Kluber is 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts this year.Hes not on the mound yet, but hes keeping his arm nice and stretched out, Indians manager Terry Francona said. And hes making progress, too.Francona said he does not know when Kluber will throw off the mound.We can set up all we want, but until hes ready we dont want to, Francona saiid.ddddddddddddHell push enough. We dont need to push.The Indians are optimistic Kluber could start the second or third game of the American League Division Series if he has no setbacks.Salazar, who has not pitched since Sept. 9, could throw a simulated game Monday.Its not necessarily etched in stone, but its probably the next thing hell do, Francona said.Also Friday, the Indians activated catcher Yan Gomes from the 60-day DL. Gomes broke his right wrist during a minor league rehab assignment after he had been sidelined by a shoulder injury.While Gomes was hitting .165 in 71 games, Indians pitchers had a 3.62 ERA when he was behind the plate, which is the best among four Indians catchers used this season.Francona said Gomes is not ready to hit.If we put him in itd be for defense and well kind of go from there, Francona said. But, I think just the fact that he can get in the game and play defense is exciting for him and us.Gomes did take batting practice before the game.Thats probably the one that Ive got to figure out the impact and being able to tolerate it, Gomes said. ' ' '