blaze, the way they werent sure what they had just voted on - it was a municipal disgrace. But then, in Glendale, thats basically the tradition. Steve Simmo

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the city of Glendale, J.P. Arencibia, Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli and the NHL All-Star team selections. Bruce Arthur, National Post : My thumb is down to the city council in Glendale, Arizona, probably in perpetuity. They had no good options in choosing whether to keep the Phoenix Coyotes or let them go, but good Lord, the way they did it, voting to heavily subsidize ownership, backing down on an out clause after five years when ownership has one, the way one councilor, Sammy Chavira, compared the new owners to firefighters rushing to face a blaze, the way they werent sure what they had just voted on - it was a municipal disgrace. But then, in Glendale, thats basically the tradition. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to J.P. Arencibia, and not because he went out of his way to publicly call out broadcasters Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst, in something of a Rogers/Blue Jays family spat, because he has no real defence here. He is having a rather dreadful season with the Jays. He strikes out too often, hits too little, and in important categories like on base percentage is among the worst hitters in baseball. And his fielding hasnt been any better. So in the end this was nothing more than a loud ill-timed immature squabble that will go away once and only if Arencibia starts playing better baseball. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Wimbledon champion, Marion Bartoli. The British parliament outlawed the paddle in 1987, but someone must have forgotten to tell the twitchy Frenchwoman. Bartoli who went all Tom Browns School Days on Sabine Lisicki - 6-1, 6-4 - in the unlikeliest final of the open era. Bartoli is all tics and mannerisms. Really, she could make a double espresso nervous. But she also was full of power, poise and great two-handed returns from both sides, never dropping a set on the way to her first slam at age 28. She is an improbable but deserving winner. Dave Hodge, TSN: Thumbs down, obviously, to the NHL All-Star team that includes Alex Ovechkin twice, as the best left winger and the best right winger in the league. But this embarrassing glitch in the voting process is actually a good thing, because it will necessitate a change that is long overdue. Hopefully, it will be the following change: the NHL All-Star team should include one goalie, two defencemen and three forwards, and the forwards can come from any position. These days, a forward is a forward first and foremost, never mind left, right or centre. And in days past, the fact that Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were never first All-Star teammates was just plain wrong. Custom Indians Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Custom Indians T-shirts . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. http://www.customindiansjersey.com/custom-kenny-lofton-jersey-large-63b.html .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Wholesale Custom Indians Shirts .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Ricky Vaughn Jersey Large . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. PARIS -- France Football magazine is changing the rules for the Ballon dOr.Six years after merging its coveted prize with the FIFA world player of the year award, the French magazine says that its contract with soccers governing body has come to an end.The voting will return to a group of international journalists, whereas coaches and team captains were involved for the past five years.The Ballon dOr will be chosen from a list of 30 players, instead of 23, and there will be no longer an announcement of the three finalists.ddddddddddddThe rule change is not expected to affect the outcome of the voting, though, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the outright favorites. Since 2008, only Messi and Ronaldo have been awarded the prize. ' ' '