teenager, because my mum was one of those involved mums who was always there, and always approachable. I think coaching did that.At

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs own a staggering 13-game lead over the St. China Jerseys Cheap Authentic . Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.But manager Joe Maddon is keeping focused and calm.The teams wrap up a four-game series Sunday night at Wrigley Field.The Cubs (73-42) took the first two games before the Cardinals won 8-4 on Saturday to snap Chicagos 11-game winning streak.My thought process hasnt changed at all, Maddon said about handling the big lead. Its when you get ready and you walk out there, wheres your mind? Its all about your mind. If your mind is locked in and if youre really, truly focused on today, its pretty easy.If you want to take the blinders off and open this whole thing up and look at the macro component, you might get somewhat complacent or lazy, or your focus may wonder. As long as you just approach today, it doesnt matter.Right-hander John Lackey (9-7, 3.56 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs and try for his fifth straight quality start. He allowed three hits and one run in eight innings in a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in his last start Tuesday.The Cubs are getting used to his emotional side.Hes not going to be out there smiling and hes going to be upset with the umpires, Maddon told MLB.com. Hes going to be upset with his manager. Hes going to be upset with teammates on occasion, but thats who he is. When you know that, its OK.Lackey is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season in three starts against the Cardinals -- his only starts against his former team. He went 16-13 with a 3.10 ERA in 43 starts with St. Louis from 2014-15.The Cubs are 6-6 against St. Louis this season.For the Cardinals, right-hander Mike Leake (8-9, 4.79) is expected to start. In his last outing, he walked a season-high four, struck out none for the first time this season, and allowed three runs in six innings against his former team the Cincinnati Reds. He gave up 19 earned runs in his previous three starts.Leake is 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 20 career starts against the Cubs. He ranks second among National League pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a ratio of 1.42 walks per nine innings.Though well behind the Cubs in the division, the Cardinals (61-56) remain in the mix for a wild card spot.The Cardinals are looking for a leadoff hitter now that Matt Carpenter is batting third in the absence of Matt Holliday, who sustained a broken thumb when he was hit by a Mike Montgomery pitch Thursday. Greg Garcia went 0-for-5 batting leadoff Saturday, when Holliday went on the disabled list. Carpenter was 2-for-5 with three strikeouts.The three spot is as much psychological as it is strategic, manager Mike Matheny said. We also need somebody to step up to be that guy at the top of the order. We have a few guys who look like they can help us, kind of give us freedom to be a little more creative with Carpenter. Wholesale China Jerseys .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. China NFL Jerseys . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. http://www.chinajerseysatwholesale.com/ . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. When I was a kid, my mum coached our netball team. Shed never played, and taught herself the rules with a tattered paperback shed borrowed from the library. She only signed up because nobody else would. At first I was proud she was so committed to my sporting life that shed coach a game shed never played. But that soon changed.Some days it was the best having her around. She was funny and kind and the other girls loved her. But some days I hated how being the coachs daughter made me stand apart. Plus, her obsession with fairness meant I rarely played the position I wanted, lest it be seen as favoritism. And I could forget ever winning most valuable player.So when my daughter started a netball team and they needed a coach, I fled. The last thing I wanted was for my daughter to feel as confused as Id felt as a teenager. My feelings about all that changed quickly.My mum, whod been fighting?cancer for 18 months, died. Suddenly, my rock, someone Id relied on, was gone. That hit home when I undertook the wrenching task of sorting through her possessions and a million memories surfaced. Among them, a photograph?of her and I taken on the day we won our first netball championship back in 1982. I was 12, tall and slim with a long ponytail and a grin from ear to ear. Mum was next to me, wearing a grin equal to my own. I hadnt seen that photo for a long time. And it rocked me. It made me realize that I wasnt just grieving my mums death, I was grieving the loss of being a child.With her gone, nobody knew when my first tooth had fallen out, or how I cried after my boyfriend dumped me. That part of my history was lost. I ached for some connection to it. I hoped that maybe if I could coach like she had, some link to my past would still live.At the first few training sessions I was terrified. The kids were learning the game, I was learning how to coach, and somewhere a ghost of my mum hovered on the sidelines smiling at the whole catastrophe. When my daughter flashed a look of fury my way during a game, I realized we needed some ground rules. I agreed that fairness meant letting her play the position she liked as often as the rest of the girls, and she agreed not to think she could get away with stuff just because we were related.Coaching was something I took on for peersonal reasons, to try to be close to a mum who was no longer here. China Jerseys. I never expected to actually enjoy it. Three years in, I have discovered more about myself than I thought possible.Ive rediscovered a love of netball and now play again in an adult team. Ive uncovered a love of teaching and most weeks look forward to training nights when I can help the girls to learn new skills and strive to improve. And Ive realized that mum never coached to learn about netball, or to help us win championships. She coached to be close to me and show she cared. Even if Im not the greatest coach in the world, thats exactly why Im doing it too.Thats what I lost when she died. Not my childhood memories or a connection to my past, but someone to teach me how to be a mother. Perhaps by finding that photograph my mums parenting choices and style have found a way to live on. Just like netball gave mum and I the way to share belonging to a team, I now get to share my daughters special world. It also gives me rare insight into her friendships and closeness with her friends that I wouldnt otherwise have.They call me (affectionately, I hope) the hugger, because so often with a tween-aged team of 10 girls, there are tears. Someone is always feeling something strongly, and more often than not my role is to sit, listen and counsel. I not only coach them netball skills but also friendship skills.When mum died an old friend that I hadnt seen in many years contacted me via email. She told me how jealous shed been of my relationship with my mum when she was a teenager, because my mum was one of those involved mums who was always there, and always approachable. I think coaching did that.At the time I never noticed, but now that Im in the same boat, I see how lucky I am. Granted my daughter doesnt always like that Im her coach, but sometimes she does, and for now, those rare times are enough. Hopefully when shes grown up and Im gone, shell look back as fondly as I do and maybe coach her daughters team too.Nova Weetman lives in Melbourne, Australia. She writes childrens books and writes childrens television shows, and she loves the game of netball. Cheap MLB Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping cheap nfl jerseys Cheap Jerseys USA China Jerseys Cheap NFL Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys For Sale Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys ' ' '