Talk » the Poker Stakes in June. However, t

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Larry Fitzgerald is a bit beat up, but thats nothing new.Hes taken a lot of hits in 204 NFL games. And it hasnt mattered whether he plays wideout or in the slot, where he is now. Things get more crowded when playing as a slot receiver, but Fitzgerald said the contact is the same.I took a lot of shots outside, too, he said. You play receiver, youre going to get hit. Its the nature of the beast. But its a good problem to have. If youre not getting hit, that means youre not getting any targets.Fitzgerald had a whopping 18 targets in last Sundays 23-20 victory over San Francisco. Statistically, it was his best game of the season -- 12 catches, 122 yards.He played despite a sore knee and ankle. After the game, he acknowledged hes felt better.You dont play 13 years without playing with pain, Fitzgerald said after the game.Its football, he said. Youre going to get banged up. Its just part of it. Theres a difference between being hurt and being injured. A lot of guys are hurting. I dont want to name any on our team but there are guys that are playing through stuff.So there is no doubt that he will play Sunday when he returns to his hometown to face the Minnesota Vikings.Hes a well-conditioned athlete, Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwyn said. He knows what it takes to be great and he does everything possible as far as getting in the training room and getting the proper rehab that he needs to be successful. So it just comes down to individual want-to. The guy loves football so hes not going to let anybody take him off the grass.This is Fitzgeralds fifth trip to face the Vikings. Arizona has lost the other four.It would bother me if I played for the Vikings (and lost every game there), Fitzgerald joked. Its not like Ive got a big body of work there.Then he reeled off the names of other places where hes never won -- Buffalo, Green Bay, Pittsburgh (as a pro).Theres some places besides Minnesota I havent won, Fitzgerald said.Winning there would be something special, though. Fitzgerald was once a ballboy for the Vikings. He recalled several moments at big events growing up when he was asked about his memories of the late Metrodome.Because his father was a sports writer, he got to know players and was allowed to catch fly balls before some Twins games.I never took it for granted, he said. I was very appreciative of the opportunity.Fitzgerald brushed off the suggestion this might be the last time he plays in Minnesota.I havent thought about that, he said.But hes 33 years old and is in his 13th NFL season. Who knows when the Cardinals will be scheduled to play at Minnesota again?---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Air Force 1 Replica . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Air Force 1 Womens Outlet . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Air Force 1 Cheap . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Air Force 1 Retro Outlet . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Can a horse who has made a sufficient number of starts on the year, but who has not competed in a Grade 1 race all year, be considered one of the top members in a division where Grade 1 stakes opportunities abound?Its a matter of opinion, of course. But Da Big Hoss, who made Saturdays Kentucky Turf Cup his fourth straight stakes victory and fifth stakes win of 2016, has forced the conversation.Gifted openings on the rail in the Sword Dancer or not, there is no question that Flintshire is the best turf male in North America so far this season, and by a margin so large its ridiculous. Flintshires victories in his three starts this year in the Sword Dancer, a Grade 1 event, and in the Grade 1 Manhattan and the Grade 2 Bowling Green, were exhibitions of uncommon class.But what about the rest of the male turf division, and where near the top does Da Big Hoss fit, if at all?Da Big Hoss, claimed for $50,000 in June 2015 and whose only career attempt at the Grade 1 level was a respectable sixth at 60-1 in the Breeders Cup Turf last fall, has but one blemish on his record this year: a fifth in the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream in March. And for that, maybe you might want to say that Gulfstream can be a lot like Las Vegas -- what happens there can often stay there.Otherwise, Da Big Hoss has been like clockwork. He won the Grade 3 John Connally going 12 furlongs at Sam Houston in his first start of the year. And after his loss in the Mac Diarmida, this 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid won the Grade 2 Elkhorn at 12 furlongs at Keeneland, the ungraded, 2-mile Belmont Gold Cup, the Grade 3, 1-1/16-mile American St. Leger at Arlington, and the aforementioned Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs at 12 furlongs.So to keep score, thats five stakes wins this year for Da Big Hoss, over five different turf courses, in four states. You cant help but admire that.How does Da Big Hosss 2016 record stack up against the ones yours truly has ranked below Flintshire in this weeks Watchmaker Watch? Lets take a look.Ironicus was an excellent second to Flintshire in the Manhattan after a less-than-perfect trip, and after winning the Grade 3 Fort Marcy in his 2016 bow. However, he has not raced since the Manhattan, although he has put some workouts together very recently.Mondialiste won the Grade 1 Arlington Million in his only North American start this year. But this years Million was far from the best ever run for these reasons: Mondialiste is a miler, so its an indictment of the Million that he won it going 10 furlongs. The Million had the same winning Beyer Figure of 100 that Da Big Hoss earned winning the American St. Leger on that same card. And Greengrassofyoming, who was beaten only 1-1/4 lengths when fourth in the Milliion after trouble, was beaten more than five lengths without trouble when fourth behind Da Big Hoss in the Kentucky Turf Cup.ddddddddddddObviously was extremely impressive winning the Poker Stakes in June. However, that was only a Grade 3 race, it was his only win this year, he hasnt raced since (although he is working right along), and he has been unable to start more than four times a year the last three seasons.Divisidero won the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic in May. But that was his only win this year, he hasnt raced since finishing fifth in the Manhattan, and hasnt had a published work since July.Midnight Storm has had a fine year, winning the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, the Grade 2 Eddie Read, and the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile. Still, even his most ardent fans would concede he beat weak fields in the Eddie Read and Del Mar Mile.Tourist won the Grad