NEU » return to featherweight, wh

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Although the shutout pleased Ricky Nolasco, he would have preferred to pitch this superbly a whole lot earlier in the season.The rest of his fellow Los Angeles Angels realize they also waited far too long to get rolling this year.Even if this season is lost, the right-hander and his new team both enjoyed a victory requiring no help from Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.Nolasco pitched a four-hitter for his fifth career shutout and his first victory for Los Angeles, leading the Angels to an interleague sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with a 3-0 victory Wednesday night.C.J. Cron drove in two runs for the Angels (59-74), who have won five straight and eight of 10 to climb out of last place in the AL West.Nolasco (5-12) had gone winless with a 5.70 ERA in his first five starts for the Angels, who acquired the native of nearby Corona, California, from Minnesota at the trade deadline. He finally came up with a gem against the Reds, and he even won at home for the first time in 16 consecutive starts with the Twins and Angels.Obviously, I would have liked to win earlier, but I like where Im at, as far as where Im throwing the ball, Nolasco said. I feel good. Im eating up innings, and Im just trying to give my team a chance to win games.With his slider moving splendidly, Nolasco retired 12 straight Reds to end it. The shutout was his first since Sept. 9, 2012, and his 11th career complete game was his first since May 2, 2014.I know its been a while, but Ill enjoy it for the rest of the night with the family, Nolasco said. Its definitely nice, a good feeling being out there and trying to get the last out.Los Angeles even won without Pujols and Trout, who didnt play in an early starting game before the Angels day off. Trout and Pujols didnt start in the same game for the first time since Sept. 18, 2014.Brandon Finnegan (8-10) struck out nine during seven strong innings of five-hit ball for the Reds, who have lost four straight and eight of 10.(Finnegan is) a kid who has evolved into a three-pitch pitcher with command who is pitching to both sides of the plate, Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. (He) has kind of found a devastating changeup (and) the ability to throw a slider for a quality strike when hes behind in the count and locate his fastball. ... His development has been exceptional. Really a highlight of the season.Finnegan had only one poor inning during the former Royals relievers latest strong start for the last-place Reds.He had retired nine straight before the sixth, when Andrelton Simmons popped a double and scored on Crons two-out single to center. Jefry Marte then drove in Cron from first with a double to the right-field corner.Nolasco faced more trouble than Finnegan, but still escaped jams caused by errors by Marte and Kaleb Cowart. Ramon Cabrera got to third with one out in the sixth for Cincinnati, but Nolasco coolly retired Zack Cozart and Joey Votto.He has pitched some good games for us, better than his linescores have shown, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.THROWING BLANKSDespite their dismal overall record, the Angels matched Cleveland for the major league lead with their 10th shutout of the season. They have six shutouts since the All-Star break, tying Cincinnati for the big-league lead.TRAINERS ROOMReds: Dan Straily and Tim Adleman will move up one day in Cincinnatis rotation this weekend to give extra rest to Homer Bailey, who has a sore muscle in his right arm.Angels: The club has no plans to shut down Pujols despite some nagging plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Scioscia said. Pujols, who hit his 586th homer earlier this week, has managed plantar fasciitis in his left foot for long stretches of his career.UP NEXTReds: After a travel day, Anthony DeSclafani (8-2, 2.96 ERA) opens a homestand against St. Louis.Angels: After a day off, Brett Oberholtzer (3-2, 5.16 ERA) makes his second start since the Angels claimed him off waivers from Philadelphia. He made it through just three innings at Detroit last weekend. Bill Dickey Yankees Jersey . LOUIS -- St. DJ LeMahieu Yankees Jersey . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. https://www.cheapyankees.com/2041g-mariano-rivera-jersey-yankees.html . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Derek Jeter Yankees Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Jacoby Ellsbury Yankees Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Before his loss to Nate Diaz on March 5, the legend of Conor McGregor had been built through boldness and an almost clairvoyant ability to call his own shots.Its one thing to establish lofty standards of pay-per-view buys and fight purses as a master marketer and all-time great trash-talker. Its another if the substance of what you are inside the cage isnt quite what the hype machine made it out to be.Entering his first bout with Diaz, the currency of McGregors words had never held greater value. The cultivation of his Mystic Mac persona knew almost no limits.Move up two weight classes to face a new opponent on 11 days notice? No problem. For even McGregors harshest of critics -- those who believed his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo had been a fluke or still questioned what an elite wrestler with a full training camp might do to him -- there was a voice of disbelief whispering at every turn: What if McGregor is right? What if he really is as good as he says he is?McGregor wasnt just playing with house money entering UFC 196; he was setting it on fire and laughing at the flames. And in the first round against Diaz, as he danced around the cage and bloodied his opponents right eye with pinpoint punches, McGregor was improbably backing up just the latest in a long line of outrageous claims.The clown prince of mixed martial arts was ready to become the sports new king, with a pay-per-view-shattering superfight against a returning Georges St-Pierre, who was cageside, likely next on the horizon.But McGregors legend ran out of gas. It was picked apart, scowled at and submitted by a fighter he had taken for granted, in the face of odds the UFCs 145-pound champion had refused to accept were against him.The two fighters will meet for a second time on Saturday, headlining UFC 202 in Las Vegas. For Diaz, who used the dramatic win (and circus atmosphere surrounding the rematch) to negotiate the kind of purse he has long deserved, the fight offers an opportunity at unlikely stardom. But for McGregor, the stakes are much higher.There are plenty of arguments to be made how McGregors star power could survive a second straight loss to Diaz, but his legend would never be the same. Not the one he was attempting to build entering their first bout.Thats why Saturdays rematch is a must-win for McGregor in terms of how well remember him down the line. It may also prove to be a must-win for the UFC.It takes stars to drive mainstream interest, and following the UFCs recent $4 billion sale, its new owners are at a bit of a deficit in that category. Its something McGregor is well aware of, too.Somebody estimated my net worth to be $4 billion -- that was my reaction [to the sale], McGregor told ESPN.com last week. There is 95 percent bums in the game, thats the Gods honest truth. Like I said, if I took myself out of here, it would be just hillbillies hugging each other to the bell. Nobody brings what I bring; nobody has done what I have done. If 2015 was McGregor bringing in all these numbers and breaking all these records and then 2016 it sold for $4 billion, I simply know my net worth now, and its $4 billion.When you look up and down the UFC roster, there is no one within the same area code when it comes to McGregors value to the company as a star. Not only are Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar handcuffed by bad press aand likely suspensions following their UFC 200 doping violations, its unclear whether Ronda Rousey will ever return, let alone ever be the same.ddddddddddddMcGregor could only increase his value to the UFC should he defeat Diaz, which by the way, would provide the company with another lottery ticket to cash whenever it pleases in the form of a trilogy fight. But a second McGregor loss would be another story.For the most part, you only get one shot at cultivating the idea of true invincibility in combat sports. Its a false narrative, of course, especially in MMA, where one mistake at any given moment can cost you a fight. But history has proven you can earn it back by instantly fixing your one mistake, something even GSP was able to do by avenging his upset title loss to Matt Serra in 2008.McGregor has built-in excuses he can one day lean on as a justification for the first defeat -- everything from mismanaged cardio to Diaz, the much bigger fighter, being a late replacement. But he must win the rematch decisively in order to do so. Its something not lost on the Irishman, which is why he has compounded an already stubborn decision by insisting that the rematch be contested at 170 pounds.What kind of fighter would I be if I said, Hey, I didnt get you at 170, let me try to get you at 155, McGregor told ESPN.com in June. Ill make my adjustments. I ate up to the weight. This time, I wont do that.In one sense, fighters are the greatest liars in all of sports, mostly out of necessity due to the irrational confidence needed just to enter the fighting arena. But McGregor never appears to be acting, even throughout the more circus-like moments in his initial rise.Thats why its hard to imagine McGregors confidence and boldness ever truly being the same with a second consecutive defeat to the same fighter, which history supports can be demoralizing at the elite level.BJ Penn and Anderson Silva never fully recovered from losing their UFC titles in back-to-back defeats to Frankie Edgar and Chris Weidman, respectively. Former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has never been the same since two title defeats to Cain Velasquez. In boxing, both Larry Holmes (twice against Michael Spinks) and Shane Mosley (twice each to both Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright) never returned to the same level.Yes, McGregor could conceivably lose to Diaz and still return to featherweight, where he remains the UFC champion. But his audacious aura -- the very foundation his star was built upon -- will be damaged.Will McGregor one day go down as merely a talented loudmouth who was finally exposed -- twice -- for biting off more than he could chew? Or will his intangibles, skills and fighting spirit prove to be as historically significant as his ability to draw eyes?McGregor deserves respect for how he has handled himself as a fighter, one who simply refuses to back down from a challenge. Make no mistake, hes in for another one on Saturday.Its fitting that the fight would be in Vegas, where McGregor is essentially going all-in on himself. Considering his boldness up to this point, there should be no other way.A victory over Diaz on Saturday is the only true way for McGregor to reclaim what was lost. ' ' '