Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. Dan Marino Dolphins Jersey . This week they discuss a great initiative by Brian Burkes family, decisions made by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the elegance of Jean Beliveau and a rule change in the CFL. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to Patrick and Brian Burke, and it has nothing to do with Ron Wilson. No, my thumb is up to the You Can Play project, which the Burke family and the NHL will launch today. Its a lot like It Gets Better, aimed at gay kids who feel bullied and excluded from sports, and will feature a long list of prominent NHL players - from Henrik Lundqvist to Daniel Alfredsson, Corey Perry to Rick Nash, Dion Phaneuf to Claude Giroux. This is a tribute to the late Brendan Burke - a kid who felt like he didnt belong in sports because he was gay, and who left us too soon. His brother and his father should be proud. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the Pittsurgh Steelers, the one organization in football that is always preaching family and loyalty. The Steelers dont fire coaches. Normally they treat people the right way. But this week, they said goodbye to their all-time leading pass receiver, Hines Ward, and one of their all-time leading tacklers, 15-year vet James Farrior, neither of whom wanted to leave the home. They were forced out because of salary cap considerations, which for the Steelers is a lot like kicking your kids out of the house because you cant afford to feed them anymore. You expect that from other teams. You dont expect it from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Jean Béliveau, recovering in hospital after suffering a stroke. Sometimes it seems there is little this fractious land agrees upon, but no one disputes Béliveaus inherent elegance and humanity. He is a provincial icon, of course, the connective tissue between Rocket Richard and Guy Lafleur in the sweep of Montreal Canadiens history. But he also represents all that is noble about his sport and, by extension, the country. Consider this: Béliveau has raised more money for childrens charities than he earned in salary during his hockey career. He didnt have to become Governor General in 1994 when Jean Chrétien offered him the post. Béliveau already was royalty. And always will be. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is up to the Canadian Football League for passing a rule that spells "safety first", but I do have a question. The rule is fairly complicated as it attempts to deal with the matter of helmetless players. Play stops immediately if a ball-carrier loses his helmet, any other player without headgear will be penalized if he attempts to block or tackle. This rule wouldnt be necessary if helmets stayed on players heads, so can you guess the question? Why dont they? To the extent that players are to blame, I guess the rule makes even more sense. Jason Trusnik Jersey . When you think teams you imagine a group of people who all shop at the same jersey store and move together in a large pack with a common goal, which is usually scoring goals. But at these Olympic Games the idea of becoming a team in figure skating makes perfect sense because of a new event called, shockingly, the Team Event. Bob Griese Jersey . Barbre is eligible to participate in all off-season and preseason practices and games. Barbre played for Green Bay from 2007-09, and appeared in three games for Seattle in 2010 and four last season. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounds former Missouri Southern State lineman also spent time with Miami in 2010, but didnt play.Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Devin Booker scored 19 points and top-ranked Kentucky put on a defensive clinic in an 83-42 obliteration of UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. The Wildcats opened the game on a 24-0 run and allowed just three field goals on 37 shots from the Bruins in the first half en route to building a startling 41-7 lead at the break. The seven points were the lowest total in a half in UCLAs storied history and the fewest Kentucky has permitted in a period since 1943. UCLA finished a miserable 25.4 percent from the field and 1-of-4 from the foul line, committed 15 turnovers and had 13 shots rejected by the Wildcats suffocating defense. Aaron Harrison chipped in 15 points and Andrew Harrison dished out eight assists to help Kentucky (12-0) dominate from start-to-finish in its final test before next Saturdays showdown with No. 4 Louisville. Bryce Alford finished with 13 points and Isaac Hamilton had 12 for UCLA (8-4), though neither scored during the Bruins humiliating opening half. UCLAs dubious performance began with the Bruins misfiring on their first 17 attempts with three early turnovers mixed in, while Kentucky conversely started off red-hot to quickly turn this matchup between two of college basketballs all-time great programs into a laugher. The Wildcats went 6-of-9 from the floor to open the contest, including a pair of Aaron Harrison 3-pointers that had Kentucky up 16-0 just over 3 1/2 minutes in. AAfter a temporary cold spell from Kentucky, Booker knocked down a pair of treys in front of a transition dunk that extended the lead to 24-0 with still 12:40 left in the first half. Derrick Shelby Jersey. Kevon Looneys layup 12:17 before intermission finally got the Bruins on the board, but UCLA didnt record its second basket for nearly five more minutes as the Wildcats stretched the margin to 28-2. Kentucky ended the half on a 7-0 run to account for the 41-7 spread, with the Wildcats getting 16 fast-break points and swatting eight shots over the initial 20 minutes. The Bruins were more competitive in the second half but continued to lose ground, with Kentuckys lead swelling to 46 points following a 12-2 spurt highlighted by two more Booker threes. The second preceded Dakari Johnsons dunk off an Aaron Harrison feed that had UCLA down by a whopping 66-20 score with 9:15 to play. Game Notes UCLAs previous record for fewest points in a period was 14 ... Kentucky also allowed seven first-half points in a 61-14 rout over Carnegie Tech on Dec. 28, 1943 ... UCLA guard Norman Powell, averaging 17.4 points per game coming in, was held to two on 1-of-13 shooting ... Kentucky has started a season with 12 consecutive double-digit wins for the first time in school history ... The Wildcats had 20 fast-break points to UCLAs none ... Kentuckys eight national titles are second only to the Bruins 11. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
