While many people will debate why goaltending has improved so much by using explanations that include the size of equipment, the articles author Neil Payne has his own explanation "During the 1980s, the prevailing style was still the so-called stand-up method, in which a goalie largely remains upright on his skates while making saves, using his stick and skates to stop low shots. In the middle of the decade, though, goaltending phenom Patrick Roy made his NHL debut. Emboldened by recent advances in arm and chest protectors, Roy used a different technique — the “butterfly” — wherein the goaltender drops to his knees to make saves, effectively sealing off most shooting targets along the bottom third of the net."Whether Gretzky had it easy or not will always be a topic for discussion. His stats still are beyond anything achieved by individual athletes in teams sports and his did have an uncanny knack for finishing. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . Costa Rica followed up its wins over Uruguay and Italy by holding England to a dour 0-0 draw on Tuesday, enough to finish first in Group D. Nikola Vucevic Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears say they have agreed to a one-year contract with centre Roberto Garza. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-terrence-ross-magic-jersey/ . - The Baltimore Ravens have hired Steve Spagnuolo to be their secondary coach and assistant head coach. Grant Hill Jersey . "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics. Melvin Frazier Jersey . JOHNS, N. CLEVELAND -- After going through a rocky April, the Cleveland Indians got more bad news before even playing a game in May. All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained side muscle prior to Fridays game against the Chicago White Sox. Kipnis injury is expected to sideline him from three to five weeks. Losing Kipnis is yet another setback for a team thats struggled in several areas. Cleveland has lost six straight and is in last place in the AL Central. The Indians have yet to resemble the club that made the playoffs as a wild-card team in 2013. While one poor month doesnt guarantee a losing season, general manager Chris Antonetti knows its time to see some improvement. "There is obviously urgency," he said. "We want to try to turn things around as quickly as possible. Regardless of what the immediate results are, we need to play better as a team, really in all facets. Im confident well do that." Kipnis injured his oblique during an at-bat in the fourth inning of Tuesday nights loss to Los Angeles. He had an MRI on Thursday that showed the injury was more serious than originally thought. "Its not one of those ones you can play through," Kipnis said. "You have to let it fully recover because if you push it and re-injure it, youre right back at step one." The 27-year-old Kipnis is hitting .234 with three homers and 12 RBIs for the slumping Indians, who went 0-6 on a West Coast trip against the San Francisco Giants and Angels. "Trust me, watch how much this training staff hates me after about a week,"; he said.dddddddddddd "As a player, you never like watching the game and not be able to help out the team. Hopefully, Ill get back out there as soon as possible." Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract at the start of this season. His injury was the low point of a trip during which the Indians scored 13 runs and batted .183. "That probably wasnt our most fun road trip," manager Terry Francona said. "Unfortunately, we managed to do some things every game that didnt help us win." In an effort to break the slump, pitchers Corey Kluber and Cody Allen wore chicken outfits while standing in the outfield during batting practice Friday, but the Indians numbers havent provided many laughs. Cleveland is 12th in the AL in runs scored and leads the league with 26 errors, resulting in 17 unearned runs. Opening day starter Justin Masterson is winless in six starts, and several key hitters, including Carlos Santana, Nick Swisher and Asdrubal Cabrera, have struggled. Catcher Yan Gomes, who signed a six-year, $23 million contract in spring training, has made seven errors after committing three last season. "Teams are going to go through stretches of the season where they dont play great," Antonetti said. "There are going to be ebbs and flows to the season." "I believe well find a way to dig ourselves out of what weve dug," Francona said. The Indians recalled infielder Jose Ramirez from Triple-A Columbus. Ramirez has a .319 average with four homers and 17 RBIs in 23 games for the Clippers. ' ' '