urt a player. "I dont think anybody plays that way," h

TORONTO -- Toronto FC will give goalie Joe Bendik his first start of the season as the Vancouver Whitecaps come to town for the Amway Canadian Championship. Manager Ryan Nelsen has confirmed Brazilian No. 1 Julio Cesar will be rested for Wednesdays first leg of the semifinal. That opens the door for Bendik, who started 33 games for Toronto last season. Midfielder Jonathan Osorio and defender Bradley Orr are doubtful through injury but Nelsen expects England striker Jermain Defoe and his other big guns to start. Toronto has an MLS bye this weekend. Vancouver coach Carl Robinson plans to give Canadian youth a chance, with starts for 17-year-old goalkeeper Marco Carducci and 20-year-old midfielder Bryce Alderson. Midfielder Russell Teibert, a 21-year-old who already has 46 MLS appearances under his belt, will also start for Vancouver, which has an MLS date this weekend in Columbus. FC Edmonton hosts defending champion Montreal Impact in the first leg of the other semifinal Wednesday. Edmonton advanced by dispatching Ottawa Fury FC 3-1 on aggregate in a battle of North American Soccer League teams. Jeff Bagwell Jersey . - Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II says the NFL has told the team it will not be docked a pick in this years draft for coach Mike Tomlins foray onto the field against Baltimore last November. Houston Astros Jerseys . - Steve Stricker usually doesnt show up at a tournament on Sunday. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/andy-pettitte-astros-jersey/ . The 55th-ranked Istomin saved 11 of 14 break points to win in just over two hours, setting up a second round meeting with Australian Marinko Matosevic. It was the Uzbeks third win in three matches against fifth-seeded Kohlschreiber, the 2007 and 2012 tournament winner. J. R. Richard Jersey . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Mike Scott Jersey . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The collision that knocked Aqib Talib out of the AFC championship game reverberated Monday when Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wes Welker tried to "take out" the star cornerback. Belichick took the shot at his former wide receiver after viewing video of the second-quarter play in the Denver Broncos 26-16 win on Sunday. Coming from opposite sides, the players ran into each other. No penalty was called. It "was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib, no attempt to get open," Belichick said during his opening statement at his season-ending news conference. "Ill let the league handle the discipline on that play. Its not for me to decide, but its one of the worst plays Ive seen. Thats all Im going to say about that." NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday, "If there is any discipline for plays in (Sundays) games, it will be determined by Merton Hanks later in the week." Hanks is the leagues vice-president of player operations. Welker, who had a cool relationship with Belichick before leaving New England as a free agent last off-season, was not available for comment Monday. But after the game, he said, "it was one of those plays where its kind of a rub play and I was trying to get him to go over the top, and I think he was thinking the same thing and wanted to come underneath and we just kind of collided. ... It wasnt a deal where I was trying to hit him or anything like that." After Talib left with a knee injury, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning took advantage of having the much shorter Alfonzo Dennard covering receivers Talib normally would handle. The previous season, a thigh injury ended Talibs day in the first quarter of the AFC championship game, a 28-13 loss to Baltimore. Denver coach John Fox said he hadnt seen Belichicks comments but called Welker "a great player, high integrity. I can say that we were not doing anything with intent.dddddddddddd" Asked why he would send the 5-foot-9 Welker, 4 inches shorter, at Talib after sustaining two recent concussions, Fox said, "Thats a good question. I dont have an answer to it." But he and several Patriots said pick plays in which one receiver brushes against or hits a defender to free another receiver are becoming more prevalent. "Teams do a lot of that just to give guys separation and to open up the passing game," safety Devin McCourty said. Steve Gregory, New Englands other starting safety, said he didnt think Welker would deliberately try to hurt a player. "I dont think anybody plays that way," he said, "especially at this level of football with two great football teams in the Broncos and ourselves." Besides, Fox said, the Broncos werent the only team to run a pick play. "The umpires in that area. Its a pretty crowded area, so I think offences have tried to exploit that," he said. "Were not the only team, by any stretch. In fact, our opponent Sunday did the same thing." Welker, coming from the right, used his right arm to make contact with the left arm of Talib, who was running from the left to stay with his receiver. They collided a split-second before Mannings pass went off the hands of receiver Demaryius Thomas a few yards away. Patriots defensive end Andre Carter called it a "nasty" play. "Wes, was he doing his job? Im sure he was to a certain degree," Carter said. "(Do) I think the hit could have been cleaner? Yes." But Broncos tight end Julius Thomas was more concerned about preparing to face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 than about Belichicks comments. "The thoughts and feelings of opposing coaches definitely dont bother me," he said. "Were worried about whats happening this week." ' ' '