Shes a regular doubles player on top of singles

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TORONTO – In each of the past two offseasons Cody Franson and the Maple Leafs disagreed on the worth of the now 26-year-old defender. Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys . Contract disputes lingered for days, weeks and months in the winter of 2012 and once more in summer of 2013 before the two sides finally compromised on an unhappy middle with a pair of one-year contracts. Franson, not surprisingly, feels he has something to prove in his third season in Toronto. "Definitely," he said in conversation with the Leaf Report on Tuesday afternoon. "Thats the way my dad raised me was live by proving people wrong, have that motivation and drive to make people that say youre not eat their words." Franson believed that hed established himself as a viable top-4 defender last season, when he broke out with 29 points in 45 games, but Dave Nonis and the Leafs management group wanted to see more. They werent sure what the Sicamous, B.C. native was (the half-season sample size undoubtedly a factor) and balked at committing the sizeable term and dollars he desired in free agency (hence the one-year deal worth $2 million). Soon to be a restricted agent once more in the summer of 2014, Franson is out to prove that hes worthy of such an investment. Entrenched with the significant role and responsibility he always wanted upon landing with the Leafs via trade from Nashville, Franson is only half-satisfied with the season hes had to date. "Its going okay, but I can do more," said Franson, who will assume top pairing duty in the absence of suspended captain Dion Phaneuf. "I feel like I can do more. I feel I can help produce more. I can be a bigger part in our group turning things around." The Leafs have stumbled into December, struggling to generate offence and adequately defend amid a stretch which has seen them win just twice in regulation in 17 games. Now without their captain and leading minute-eater for the next two games – against top teams from Los Angeles and St. Louis no less – theyll need others, Franson most prominently, to step up their game. "The challenges are bountiful as we go forward into the season," said Randy Carlyle of a year thats seen an increasing number of injuries and suspensions, "but somebody else now gets an opportunity to fill those minutes." Be it offensively or defensively, Franson feels his game could stand to rise on a number of different fronts. The scoring leader of the Toronto defence once again this season – he has 14 points – Franson is nonetheless concerned by his inability to find the back of the net. He had four goals on 70 shots in 2013, but has yet score on any of the 40 attempts hes fired so far this year. Directing more pucks on net, thus creating not only goals but rebound opportunities for teammates, will aid in the teams struggling offensive attack – the Leafs have just 23 even-strength goals during this lasting 17-game run. "Obviously not having scored a goal is in my head," he said, noting a desire to increase his overall offensive production. "Its been a tough year to try and get shots through to the net and really help our forwards in that sense. Thats bothering me a bit." Amongst the best at his position in producing offence at even-strength last season – he had 16 points, tied for 12th most among NHL defenders – Franson has just three such points this season, the majority of his production coming on one of the leagues top power-plays. Because the Leafs have struggled to move the puck effectively for the better part of the opening two-plus months theyve been ineffective with a forecheck from which theyd like to initiate offence. One of their better puck-movers, Franson can help in that regard with some measure of improvement. "I havent got enough of those this year," said Franson of even-strength points, 11 of his 14 assists coming with the man advantage. "Thats something Ive been trying to focus on in getting better at and try to help our team win." Already second in ice-time among Leaf defenders – 21 minutes per game –Franson is poised to peg, if not more minutes, than more difficult minutes with Phaneuf suspended for tough tests against the Kings and Blues. He was paired with Carl Gunnarsson on the top pairing of Tuesdays practice. Though hes made strides in the right direction in Toronto, Franson remains a work in progress in the defensive zone. Part of that growth lies in his assertiveness and physicality. The 6-foot-5 defender has always been prodded to employ the requisite physical game his size is said to demand. Under the direction of Carlyle he has improved considerably. Franson actually leads all NHL defenders with 98 hits (entering Tuesdays action), quite a shift for a player who had 55 in his first 61 NHL games with Nashville. "Ive gotten better," said Franson, "but theres always room for improvement. Ive watched the video clips of myself after a lot of games and I see spots where I know I couldve at least bumped a guy there or a guy takes a shot and I was more worried about the rebound than finishing [him] into the wall. Just some things that I need to get back into the habit of doing and itll help me." Habit has also been forced to change with a steady mix of defensive partners. Unlike last season, when he played with Mark Fraser almost exclusively, Franson has shifted from partner to partner amid the teams struggles on the back-end. Gunnarsson will be the fifth partner hes been paired with already this season. The adjustment is as subtle as thinking versus reacting instinctually. "[I]t makes you think a little more and sometimes Im thinking too much and its making me read things a little slower than I should be and in turn making me not quite as aggressive as Id like to be," said Franson. "Ive got to get that down a little quicker and itll help." Such improvements will go a long ways toward proving the "naysayers" wrong while helping the Leafs turn a much-needed corner. Dallas Cowboys Store . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . Although the deal cannot be made official until the free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 10, Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $18 million extension to remain in Toronto, sources confirm to TSN.After an appearance at the French Open and a five-match run at the Aegon Classic, Blainville, Quebecs Aleksandra Wozniak reflects on her play and her preparation for Roland Garros in her personal blog on RDS.ca and TSN.ca. The last few weeks have been hectic between my participation at Roland Garros and my debut this Tuesday at Wimbledon. It was a heartbreaking match against Sorana Cirstea at the French Open about two weeks ago. Its been awhile since I found myself in a situation like that. I lost the match by a hair after being at match point. Against the 26th-seed in the tournament, a player who hits very hard, its already promised to be difficult. I played a very good game until I dropped the second set and it has been a little hard to get over it eventually. I rather started playing a little too defensively and it let her take the lead and I dropped points. I made too many mistakes in the third set and its been difficult for me after the meeting. But its time to turn the page quickly to tackle the season on grass. I trained with artificial turf on the site of Roland Garros and made the adjustments necessary to make the transition from clay to grass, which is not easy because its a completely different game. Balls move faster, points come quicker with up to three exchanges, and it is rare that there are more than that. It was necessary to modify some aspects of my game accordingly. To put these adjustments into practice, I flew to Birmingham where I had an excellent tournament. I played five big matches, including two in qualifying. My progress was stopped, however, in the third round by former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Kirsten Flipkens. I won the first set 6-1 and was leading the second 3-1, but Flipkens came back strong and served well. She played better in the third set than I did. While she was aggressive, I struggled with my games and was fighting shots. Flipkens is especially difficult to play on grass because of the way she can slice and her net play, so its no surprise that she went as far as she did at Wimbledon in 2013. Still, it was a good tournnament for me and there was a lot to be gained from it. Dallas Cowboys Gear. . Little by little, Im improving in the rankings. Im up to 118th in the world, which is an improvement of 17 places since the last rankings. My coach, Nathalie Tauziat, also said she likes the progress in my game that shes noticed since the beginning of this European swing at the Cagnes-sur-Mer tournament in France. Were continuing to move forward and this is encouraging. It just takes one good tournament run to accumulate points and keep propelling forward. Tomorrow (June 17), I have another opportunity to build on this momentum when I begin qualifying for the main draw at Wimbledon. I will face Renata Voracova, not a very well-known player, who is ranked 172nd in the world. Shes a regular doubles player on top of singles and loves to play at the net. Voracova loves to play on grass and Im going to have to dictate the pace from the start. Because the ball doesnt bounce as well on grass, Im going to have to keep low, legs bent, in anticipation of its movement. Qualification continues on Wednesday and Thursday. A woman amongst the men A little bit of a digression here on the recent news of Andy Murray hiring Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach. Its rare to see a woman in this position, especially in the ATP, because often, after their careers, female players spend time with their families. I think Murray picked Mauresmo with good reason. Shes a former Grand Slam champion (the Australian Open and Wimbledon) with lots of experience. He sees what she can provide, but this is a bit of a different approach. In my case, it was last year when I began training with a female coach after years of training with men. We get along well because Nathalie understands the emotions of a player. Their new partnership is a trial for the grass court season. Its difficult to find the right mix between the player and coach and theres always a period of adjustment. Chemistry wont be built in an instant. Murray will assess all of this after Wimbledon to see if the potential for a longer-term partnership is there. ' ' '