Chicago. He said hes had off-and-on back pain.Its been a crazy year, man, Shields said. A lot of things going on. Obviously I got traded. Things that happened in San Diego that werent under my control. Come in here to a new team, probably out of the gates tried to do too much, then settled in and the

Chris Scott wasnt saying this lightly, and nor were the 87,533 spectators who staggered out of the MCG on Friday night. Victors, vanquished or neutral, all were elated by Geelongs two-point victory over Hawthorn in the latest instalment of their ongoing attempts to play the greatest AFL match ever played.Focus will be placed upon Isaac Smith for missing a set shot after the siren after Hawthorn - as they always seem to - gave themselves an opportunity to win a game at the last. But it would be unfair to do so; as Alastair Clarkson rightly pointed out, Hawthorns enviable record in tight games this year meant it was perhaps time for a ball to fade to the wrong side of a goal post.Instead it was best to take in Scotts assessment and count the reasons why. Scott admitted to thinking the game, on Smiths boot, was already lost. He also conceded the coaching staff, unable to influence the hectic final minutes overmuch, had started prepping for extra time.I feel for Isaac, I think its a horrible situation to be in, off the boot he probably thought it looked pretty good as well, Scott said. In the moment youre not commiserating with them but we certainly do feel for them. The game was typical of a final, a contrast of styles but still really fierce.Its almost unfair to end a game like that. We were preparing for extra time a little bit, that would have been a more fitting outcome, but happy to take it.Vivid were the contrasting styles of Geelongs contested ball work, epitomised by the indomitable Patrick Dangerfield, and the precision by hand and foot allowed Hawthorn to dominate possession and forward 50m entries. That left the stats sheet reading contested ball Geelong 170-118, uncontested possession Hawthorn 260-188, and marks 113-65.I think they played the game the way they wanted to for big chunks of the game, Scott said. We were better in the contest but its just not their style. Because theyre ranked in the top four with those sorts of numbers in the contest it does speak to how well they control the ball.Its a fascinating case study when youve got two completely contrasting styles. But it wasnt that long ago I sat in press conference after press conference talking about how we were going to fix our contested ball. Every team is adjusting and trying to play to their strengths. Both teams did that tonight and thats why it was so close.While Geelong finished the winners, it was actually Hawthorn who enjoyed the biggest lead in the game, 17 points in the third term. Geelongs ability to recover that ground and nab a narrow lead at the last change may not have been decisive given what followed, but at games end the two-point margin from three-quarter-time had held - just.It was a concerning part of the game, Scott said. They looked like they had control. We talk about the specifics and the technical side of the game but as much as anything we needed something to get us going. There were a few things we did improve, not so much from the coaches box, the players started implementing a little bit better, kick a couple and momentum shifts.At three-quarter-time we went in feeling really confident. But then they kicked a couple in the last quarter and wrested the momentum back. If you were guessing how the game was going to go in the last quarter you wouldve assumed it played out like it did, really tight.This is all without mentioning the sheer physicality of the thing. Theres Luke Hodge and Joel Selwood in a head clash, having their heads bandaged and going back on. Taylor Duryea busts his thumb in a marking contest, shrugs it off to contest again at the other side of the ground and takes only the briefest of treatment breaks before returning.Early in the last quarter, Josh Caddy tackles Sam Mitchell with all his might and moments later is seeking treatment for the clash he initiated. Ten minutes later Geelong have no fewer than three players all going off the field with the blood rule, and Tom Hawkins needed his balance checked by medical staff after yet another heavy physical clash. Caddy returned to kick what proved the winning goal - but only by the width of Smiths subsequent miss.Oddly enough, a match that felt so definitive may be anything but. Clarkson was in a hurry to remind his players and the public that this was the final to lose if one had to be lost. Hawthorn were thrashed in Perth by West Coast last year and went on to win the flag. They are no worse off this time.I said to the players if youre going to lose a final this is the one to lose, all the rest of them dont give you a second chance, he said. We went down this path last year and well have to go down that path again. Disappointing but we had our chances over the night. It could quite easily have been us victorious. Weve had a pretty good run with close games this year, but didnt nail it tonight.Boxing comparisons are beloved of many a football coach, and Clarkson offered up his own. With two heavyweights going at each other, its really hard to keep a side down for the whole four quarters, he said. They couldnt keep us down for four quarters and we couldnt keep them down. Sometimes it just comes down to rub of the green.We said to Isaac chin up mate, what can you do about it. Win next week, of course, but only after making peace with the fact that the fateful miss was a fittingly white-knuckled conclusion to an epic. 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Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. CHICAGO -- White Sox right-hander James Shields vowed Tuesday to stay in the rotation despite back pain and asked for patience from fans amid the worst season of his career.A day after Chicago manager Robin Ventura suggested Shields could be shut down, the 11-year veteran said a doctors visit produced good news.Knock on wood, I havent missed a start my whole career and I dont really plan on it, either, Shields said. Its one of those things where Im pretty sure Ill be out there on Saturday.Shields struggled early in the season with San Diego, even allowing hefty New York Mets pitcher Barolo Colons first home run in May. He faced public criticism from Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler, then was dealt to the White Sox on June 5.Besides a six-start stretch in July when he had 1.71 ERA, Shields has been hit hard. Hes 3-10 with a 7.50 ERA in 17 starts with Chicago. He said hes had off-and-on back pain.Its been a crazy year, man, Shields said. A lot of things going on. Obviously I got traded. Things that happened in San Diego that werent under my control. Come in here to a new team, probably out of the gates tried to do too much, then settled in and then didnt do to well.Shields was an All-Star with Tampa Bay in 2011 and helped Kannsas City reach the World Series in 2014.ddddddddddddHis nine straight 200-inning seasons make the longest active streak in the majors.I know hes always taken the ball, Ventura said. If hes feeling healthy hes going to go back out there and pitch.The 34-year-old takes pride in his uniquely heavy workload at a time when other pitchers are doing less in an effort to stay healthy and effective.Some years you have a really good feel for the baseball and some years you dont, Shields said. Unfortunately this year I havent felt it like I wanted to. Ive been a bulldog my whole career and Im going to assess things this offseason and hopefully finish strong.Shields, a combined 5-17 with a 6.05 ERA with the Padres and White Sox, is in danger of a 20-loss season if he stays in the rotation.He can opt out of his contract after this season, but almost certainly wont. Hes due $21 million in each of the next two years.I love it here. If there is any city my wife wanted me to go to it was Chicago for sure, Shields said. Hopefully the fans will stick with me a little bit, believe in me and we can get better next year. ' ' '