NEU » Griffin scored on a nifty 18-yard run in which

Older readers may remember the days when cricketers had problems, or worse. These days they have issues. He has issues with the short ball, we say - meaning that the cricketer in question has taken a blow too many and no longer plays the short ball with confidence.In other words, hes scared. Yeller. He cant take it. He dont like it up im. Thats the essential truth, but we prefer not to put it that way. Its not even a problem. Its a set of issues. So when Stuart Broad elects to play the bouncer by crowding the square-leg umpire, its because he has issues.He has admitted as much. Some thought the frankness did him credit but no favours. On the other hand, you dont have to be Sherlock Holmes, or for that matter the Analyst, to work out that a batsman imitating the nuptial dance of the crowned crane is not entirely at ease.So yes, he has issues. Kevin Pietersen had issues with left-arm spin. Good left-arm spin had him perplexed; but bad left-arm spin was far worse. It twisted his poor mind like a pretzel. Here was naked self-doubt in a man whose self-belief was his stock-in-trade. Here was proof that behind all the swagger was a human being like us. There was also a hint that he might even be mildly agreeable.Issues. So much less of a problem than problems. Its a term that has come into use across society. Your bodys not falling apart, you have medical issues. A lot of quite tough words, some of them uncompromising, insulting and demeaning, have been scratched out of common use. A person in a wheelchair has mobility issues.Sport has picked this up with alacrity. Thats partly because we have a natural tendency to let sportspeople off lightly - to embrace the euphemism. Thats especially true for specialist journos, who must keep going back to cricketers and other athletes if they want to remain employed. If you wrote that Broad was a coward or that Pietersen was in a state of funk, youd never get another quote. So you say that they have issues, and the game can continue.Its not only expedient. Its the nature of the times. We scorn hard truths and prefer to conceal them with softer words. So we seldom say that Lance Armstrong, Hansie Cronje and Tiger Woods were stinking, lying hypocrites who did exactly as they pleased while setting themselves up as men of conspicuous virtue. They had issues…Part of me revolts against such muddling and soft-soaping. Part of me thinks that we should call a spade a spade and a hypocrite a hypocrite. The crystal-clear, downright unambiguous condemnation of such people seems to be a good thing rather than a bad one.But theres another side to this. In 2013, Jonathan Trott abandoned a tour of Australia because he couldnt take it anymore. It was a crack-up, a breakdown, a personal collapse - call it whatever you like. His body was fine but his mind could no longer face the challenges of Test cricket in the course of a disastrous tour that left its scars on everyone who took part in it. But Trott was not vilified. He was treated with understanding and compassion. He wasnt a coward; he had issues. And we all have issues. Most people thought, well, there but for the grace of God go I. The world did not see this as a moral failure. Just issues.Compare and contrast this with the treatment given to Phil Tufnell on an Ashes tour in the 90s. He too had a crack-up. He went on a crying jag and eventually found himself in a psychiatric hospital. He discharged himself and went back to the team hotel, feeling easier after what was, perhaps, a cathartic release. The management took him to task and fined him ￡1000.So yes, better to suffer from issues and get the benefit of a little compassion than to be forced to suffer for the crime of suffering. Marcus Trescothick was a brave pioneering spirit in this when his own anxieties made touring impossible for him. He spoke frankly of his breakdown at the airport, and again, he was treated with understanding. It was something of an education for everyone touched by the story. Graeme Fowler has written movingly of his own psychological troubles in his book Absolutely Foxed.Im suspicious of euphemism and all forms of soft soap, but Im in favour of compassion and understanding. Like most of us, I expect. So if the idea of issues allows a few people to be given a gentler judgement than they deserve, it has also allowed others to be given the understanding they need - to the benefit of everyone else as well. Basket Nike Solde . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Basket Air Max 95 Pas Cher . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. http://www.pascherbasketnike.fr/france-air-max-97-solde.html . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Air Force 1 Pas Cher France . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Balenciaga Pas Cher Chine . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- With two games left, coach Hue Jackson is considering any and all options to prevent the Cleveland Browns from matching the NFLs single-season record for futility.Everythings going to be on the table, Jackson said after the Browns fell to 0-14 following a 33-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. I think I owe these guys the best opportunity to win.And when Jackson says, everything, hes not ruling yet another potential change in quarterback after Robert Griffin III was inconsistent in making his second consecutive start.Everybody, Jackson said. Everybodys in play.Offense, defense, even special teams: Nothing went right once again for the bumbling Browns.LeSean McCoy had a season-best 153 yards rushing and scored twice in helping the Bills (7-7) keep their slim playoff hopes alive.The Browns have matched the second-worst start to a season, set by the 1976 Buccaneers and 1980 Saints. The 2008 Detroit Lions , meanwhile, are the NFLs only team to go without a win in a 16-game season.This is my career. This is my reputation and Im not going to back down from a challenge, said Jackson, who is in his first season with the Browns. This wasnt my dream by any stretch of the imagination. But Im not running from this.Cleveland has also lost 17 straight dating to last year, moving into a tie with the St. Louis Rams (2008-09) and Houston Oilers (1982-83) for the leagues sixth-longest skid. The Browns have gone a calendar year since their previous win, a 24-10 victory over San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2015.The Browns havent had a lead in 17-plus quarters, dating to a 7-6 edge in the third quarter of a 28-7 loss at Baltimore on Nov. 10The Bills are in jeopardy of extending the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 17 seasons, but stayed mathematically in the hunt when Denver (8-6) lost to New England.One consolation was backing up defensive tackle Marcell Dareus guaranteeing Buffalo wouldnt be the first team to lose to Cleveland this season.Coach Rex Ryan acknowledged being anxious.Youre nervous when you play and opponent like that because you definitely dont want to be the team that gets beat by them, Ryan said.That still doesnt clear up the uncertainty regarding questions of his job security beyond this season.I dont know what my future holds, Ryan said before looking ahead to Buffalo hosting Miami (9-5) on Saturday. I just know that Im going to get this team ready to play.The game against Cleveland was played before a sparse crowd, befitting of two enduring lengthy stretches of futility.The Browns havee enjoyed just one winning season since last making the playoffs in 2002.ddddddddddddcCoy broke the game open by scoring on 3- and 8-yard runs on consecutive possessions spanning the third and fourth quarters. His first came immediately after Griffin scored on an 18-yard run to cut Buffalos lead to 17-10 on Clevelands opening drive of the second half.We talked about going out there and dominating, McCoy said. Its a game we should win. Well, lets play like it.Mike Gillislee also scored on a 3-yard run to help Buffalo set a franchise record of scoring 27 TDs rushing this season. Thats one more than the mark set in 1975.Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor went 17 of 24 for 174 yards and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay.Griffin finished 17 of 28 for 196 yards and was sacked five times.BAD START: The Browns opening drive went nowhere. Cleveland netted minus-8 yards offense, including an offensive holding penalty against Jonathan Cooper. Griffin couldnt even complete an easy pass over the middle to a wide-open Duke Johnson Jr. on third down.If that wasnt enough, Britton Colquitts punt hit teammate Briean Boddy-Calhoun in the back. Boddy-Calhoun then ran into Brandon Tate, even though the Bills returner had signaled a fair catch, leading to a 15-yard penalty against the Browns rookie.SCRAMBLING: Griffin scored on a nifty 18-yard run in which he was flushed from the pocket, outraced linebacker Jerry Hughes and had enough momentum to dive across the goal line after being hit by linebacker Preston Brown.Taylor showed off his scrambling abilities on the next drive. Avoiding a sack, he raced along the right sideline and tip-toed his way for a 28-yard gain to set up McCoys 3-yard touchdown run.ONE BUFFALO? Bills center Eric Wood took issue with anyone considering the team undergoing a top-to-bottom overhaul as the NHLs Buffalo Sabres recently did to stockpile high draft picks.This isnt like hockey were you scrap your franchise for a guy that you know is coming like an Eichel or McDavid, Wood told The Associated Press, referring to Buffalos Jack Eichel and Edmontons Connor McDavid, the top two picks in the 2015 draft.This is football. You can get a No. 1 draft pick, and the best guy on the board is a tackle that year, and a tackle doesnt change your franchise.Terry and Kim Pegula own both the Bills and Sabres.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '