Talk » sore calf. He clearly was restricted in the second ha

LIVERPOOL, England - Brendan Rodgers decision to rest Steven Gerrard failed to pay dividends Saturday as even the Liverpool captains emergence off the bench failed to inspire his side to break down a resolute Sunderland with their Premier League match finishing 0-0.Liverpools must-win Champions League tie at home to Basle on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Old Trafford, meant this was a game which was always earmarked for the 34-year-old midfielder to sit out.Athough Gerrards appearance with 23 minutes to go at Anfield lifted his teammates, particularly Raheem Sterling, they still could not find the breakthrough and had to settle for a point.Only Aston Villa and Burnley have now scored fewer goals at home, where Liverpool have won just three of eight matches.Sunderland strung out a long line of blue shirts across their midfield whenever Liverpool were in possession in their half, which was understandable considering it had just lost 4-1 to Manchester City after a win and three successive draws had given the season some stability.The visitors were content to allow players like Liverpools two centerbacks Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure and midfielder Lucas Leiva to have the ball, confident the chances of them doing any damage was minimal.It put greater onus on the creative attacking trio of Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana — plus full-backs Glen Johnson and Alberto Moreno — to find a way through, but they struggled to make inroads.Sunderland had the better of the opening exchanges, with Connor Wickham twice having claims for a penalty.The best chance of the half dropped to Sunderland with the final touch when Wes Brown planted a free header high into the Kop from Sebastian Larssons corner.Sunderland, sensing its chance, began the second half positively with Jordi Gomezs shot deflected just wide and Wickham volleying across goal and wide after Skrtel could only flick on Adam Johnsons corner.Sterling came to life again midway through the second half and Liam Bridcutt was booked for bringing him down just as he was about to burst into the area, but Jordan Henderson wasted the resulting free kick.Gerrard came on for Lallana, and his deep cross and Lamberts knockdown saw Coutinhos fierce volley blocked by Bridcutt.Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who had been relatively untroubled, had to be at full stretch to tip Gomezs shot behind, but it was Sterling who was suddenly the real threat and he could have had a penalty when another incisive run ended with him on the floor after a challenge from Brown. Fake Basketball Shoes . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Basketball Shoes From China . "Im proud of him," Jones said in an interview from Sacramento, site of the UFCs weekend televised card. "I think hes listening to his body and hes doing what makes him happy and thats what life is about ultimately. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/ .Y. - Joe Johnson hit six 3-pointers in his 27 points, Mason Plumlee added 18 points, and the Brooklyn Nets won their 11th straight at home, beating the Boston Celtics 114-98 Friday night. Discount Basketball Shoes .com) - Brad Stuart has yet to play a regular-season game for the Colorado Avalanche, but that didnt deter the club from signing the veteran defenseman to a two-year contract extension on Monday. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping .Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team.Very nice job, Colts. Sorry we are not more impressed.Yes, Pro Picks has looked down on Indianapolis in these playoffs, twice picking against the Colts and looking foolish.Have we smartened up as Andrew Luck takes the AFC South champions to Foxborough to meet the AFC East winners, the Patriots?Read on.New England (No. 2 in AP Pro32) is a seven-point favourite over Indianapolis (No. 8 in AP Pro32), which seems a bit low. Not only did the Patriots rout the Colts in Indy this season, but other than the Ravens, hardly anyone puts a scare into them at Gillette Stadium.But the oddsmakers have noticed several things about both teams:—Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is playing at a very high level, perhaps the best of his three pro seasons — and that is saying plenty.—Indys defence has shown up bigtime in the post-season, discovering a pass rush, blanketing receivers (cornerback Vontae Davis has been superb) and making big plays.—The offensive line, considered a weak spot for most of 2014, appears to be coming together at just the right time.—Joe Flacco often had his way with New Englands secondary last week.—The Patriots showed plenty of gumption by rallying twice from 14-point holes. But they twice fell into 14-point holes.—New England couldnt run at all against Baltimore and stopped trying.All of that said, we leave the final words on Sundays late game to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, not someone to care about point spreads.I dont take anything for granted from anybody, Belichick says. Its a one-game season. They have a lot of good players; they have a lot of good coaches. Theyre working just as hard as we are. We have to find some way to outperform them. I think thats the message for all of us.Message received.BEST BET: PATRIOTS, 31-21No. 3 Green Bay (plus 7) at No.dddddddddddd 1 SeattleThe NFC finalists also met during the regular season and it was lopsided, too. Seattle romped 36-16 in the 2014 kickoff game.Both sides went through some trials and tribulations the rest of the way, and not much emphasis should be placed on that opening result. Green Bay, in particular, is a different team, its defence more efficient with an improved pass rush, and its running game well-established after early struggles. Aaron Rodgers has gotten some diversity from his receiving group, especially with the emergence of Davante Adams and Andrew Quarless as a third and fourth target.Most problematic, of course, is All-Pro Rodgers sore calf. He clearly was restricted in the second half against Dallas last weekend — and the Cowboys dont come close to presenting the defensive challenge the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks bring.Indeed, Seattles D is looking just as imposing now as it was a year ago.Were playing for each other, I think thats the biggest thing, All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman says. Guys are playing selfless: There arent any egos, there arent any agendas, and guys just want to do whatever it takes to win. If that means making a tackle, then make the tackle; if that means catching the football, were going to catch the football. Guys are playing for one another, they dont care about stats, nor do they care about anything else.They care about another trip to the big game, and theyll get it.SEAHAWKS, 23-20___2014 RECORD: Against spread: This week (2-2); Season (130-122-5). Straight up: This week (3-1); Season (174-88-1)Best Bet: 7-12 against spread, 11-8 straight up.Upset special: 9-9 against spread, 7-11 straight up.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '