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WHISTLER, British Columbia -- Yun Sung-bin was perhaps the biggest surprise on the World Cup mens skeleton circuit last winter, when he finished second in the season-long points standings. Hes got eyes on a better finish this season.Yun prevailed in the opening World Cup race of the season on Saturday, finishing two runs at the Whistler Sliding Center in 1 minute, 45.86 seconds. Russias Alexander Tretiakov was second in 1:45.98, and Matt Antoine of the U.S. used the strength of a flawless second heat to grab the bronze in 1:46.22.Yun crossed the finish line, took off his helmet and let out a celebratory yell. He held on for the win, even though Antoine had the fastest time in the second heat.I love this track, Antoine said. Its fast, difficult, and every run here is a challenge. You have to work for every inch, and this is what I love about this sport.The surprise might not have been who won, but rather who didnt even medal. Latvias Martins Dukurs, the seven-time World Cup champion, was fourth -- snapping a 21-race streak in which he finished either first or second in a World Cup race.Dukurs last missed a podium in a World Cup on Dec. 13, 2013, when he finished eighth at Lake Placid. Thats where the circuit is heading next, for racing in two weeks.Antoine had a streak snapped as well -- he hadnt medaled in any of his last 12 World Cup starts, going back to January 2015. He changed training regimens this winter in an effort to improve his time and form at the start, and saw immediate dividends Saturday.In this sport you cant give up time at the start if you want to be competitive at the finish, Antoine said. It was frustrating going into the races last season knowing I had a disadvantage. Getting back into a program with Jon Carlock helped me get back on track, and now I walk to the line with confidence again.Nathan Crumpton was 14th for the U.S., and teammate Kyle Tress took 20th.Wholesale Twins Jerseys . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Tony Oliva Twins Jersey . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. https://www.cheaptwins.com/772t-ian-miller-jersey-twins.html . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Sean Poppen Jersey . 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. Jason Castro Twins Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half.HOUSTON -- The chemotherapy has diminished Craig Sagers once-lustrous chestnut hair to a few unruly strands, and on this day of hope, a simple green T-shirt and blue shorts adorn the man known by millions for his ostentatious wardrobe and easy rapport with the NBAs elite.He methodically extended a long, skinny arm to an IV pole holding the stem cells he is counting on to save his life. There was silence as he cradled the tube, watching the crimson liquid drip, drip, drip in a perfect cadence into the cannula feeding it into his cancer-stricken body.TNTs beloved basketball broadcaster received a rare third bone marrow transplant on Wednesday as an aggressive form of leukemia continues to take its toll. Sager, 65, has battled acute myeloid leukemia since 2014 and announced in March that he was no longer in remission.Sager knows the odds are against him. Yet, he is unfazed.I like to gamble, he told The Associated Press. I like to bet on horses, I like to bet on dogs. I like to bet on a lot of things. Ive bet on a lot of things with a lot higher odds than this.Two other times, Sager received a bone marrow transplant with stem cells, and in both instances, it put him into remission for several months. His son, Craig Sager II, was the donor then. This time, the anonymous 20-year-old donor was considered a perfect match.Sager has been hospitalized for a month and has another monthlong stay ahead. He hasnt thought a lot about the man whose bone marrow could change everything for him. But when he learned of the donors age, he expressed a possibly only half-serious concern.My only thing was, I was afraid that when he signed up to be the donor, he may have been in some drunk fraternity house, trying to impress his date, Sager said with a smile. And they call him up the next day and say, Want to come down to the hospital? and hes like, What?His fears turned out to be unfounded.He came through, Sager said.It is the latest of close to 100 procedures Sager has endured in his well-publicized fight, and it was performed at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Sager began the transplant at about 11:30 a.m. CT, and it wasnt complete until more than 10 hours later.Craig Sager II tweeted Wednesday as his father was undergoing the procedure.Dr. Muzaffar Qazilbash, Sagers stem cell transplantation physician, researched thousands of such transplants at MD Anderson over the past 15 years to illustrate just how uncommon Sagers procedure was.Its less than 1 percent of the total number of transplants, Qazilbash said. Its very rare to have three transplants.As Sager said moments after the process began, OK, third times the charm.Sager, who has worked for TNT for more than three decades, calls himself coachable and said he is open to trying anything doctors believe might help.Ive had every chemo in the alphabet, most of them more than once, he said. Some of them that arent even in the alphabet, theyre just numbers -- clinical trials. But I bet if you added all those up, it would have to be like 60- or 70-something. Ive had 23 bone marrow aspirations. Having one isnt fun, and Ive had 23. So thats been tough.Despite the rigors of treatment and how it can ravage his body, he has never thought about giving up. In fact, he gets angry when he meets other patients who say theyve grown weary of fighting.Man, life is too beautiful, too wonderful, theres just too many things, he said. Its not just you. Its your family and kids and all. Fight. Fight until the end. Fight as hard as you can.With his radiant smile and TV-perfect persona, it takes time to peel back the layers of positivity and catch a glimpse of how hard that fight can be.His attitude is [that] nobody wants to hear it, said Stacy Sager, his wife, full-time caregiver and No. 1 fan. And so it makes you reflect on yourself and the things thaat you say when youre complaining about little things in life and trivial things, and it just puts things in perspective.ddddddddddddut there are times, often as night creeps into early morning, where it all becomes too much. No medication can help.Ive never had any of those days where Ive actually said, Why me or I cant do it, he said. But Ill have some dark nights where Ill be here by myself and maybe getting some medicine thats making me jump around like a rabbit. And Im in pain and Ive got chills and Ive got fever and Ive got everything mixed into one and Im throwing up and have diarrhea ... and Ill just say, Stacy, I need you. I need you.And shell come to me and just hold me, and it just makes it better.A few days before his transplant, Stacy came down with a bad cold and doctors sent her home, fearful she would transmit her illness to her husband. Hall of Famer and TNT colleague Charles Barkley heard she couldnt be there for a couple of days and hopped on a plane from Phoenix.The problem was that Barkley had hip replacement surgery less than a month ago and wasnt cleared to travel. He said his doctor was livid when he learned Barkley had defied orders and flown halfway across the country. Barkley informed the doctor that it was an emergency -- although it was hard to know who was there for whom.Craig Sager is one of the most interesting people Ive ever met, Barkley said. We go to see Sager to cheer him up, and by the time you leave, youre like, Is anything wrong with him? He has the most positive attitude.When you go to try and cheer him up, his attitude is so upbeat, he cheers you up.Sager has found inspiration in a little girl who lost her fight with cancer before her ninth birthday. He befriended Lacey Holsworth and her family while working on a story about her illness and remained friends with her parents after she died in April 2014. Holsworth had cheered on the Michigan State basketball team and had a close friendship with star player?Adreian Payne.Last weekend, her parents visited Sager in his Houston hospital room. They left him with a more tangible reminder of her bravery.They brought me little Laceys boots that she used to always wear to games and a picture of her wearing them, Sager said, clutching the high-top cheetah footwear accessorized with laces made from silk ribbons. That little girl was so amazing. Fought for all of those years, was always positive, always cheerful, always brought other peoples spirits up. So if Im laying here feeling bad, I just think about Lacey, and it puts everything in perspective.Sager also is bolstered by his drive to be back on the sideline for the NBA season. He doesnt expect to have recovered from Wednesdays transplant in time for the season opener Oct. 25 but aims to return by early November for more gentle sparring with the likes of?San Antonio Spurs?coach Gregg?Popovich.It would be a victory not just for him, but for all the people his fight has inspired.It means that youre surviving and youre winning, he said. That youre knocking down obstacles and clearing hurdles that are put in front of you and youre doing them with flying colors.On Wednesday, five colorful balloons were tied to one side of his hospital bed. Several had birthday greetings and two read: Happy birthday, its your big day.Festive, yes. But Sager was born in June.When you get stem cells, they say its your new birthday, Stacy explained. So this is his fourth birthday.Sager tried to downplay the pageantry surrounding the event, saying it wasnt a big deal.That earned a sweet, yet stern, admonishment from his beloved wife.It is a big deal, she said. Its giving you life.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '