Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. nfl jerseys china .ca! Hi Kerry, On two occasions this past weekend, I saw two different players drop the gloves, throw some punches and on one occasion (Malkin) lose his jersey in the process. In both of these cases, the players were assessed roughing penalties. What weighs in the refs decision to not call a fighting major or to eject a player if his jersey is not tied down? Thanks Ref,Sonny Giroux ----- Sonny, thank you for your question. I can appreciate your confusion on this issue. In terms of fighting, the rule book offers that "The Referees are provided very wide latitude in the penalties with which they may impose. This is done intentionally to enable them to differentiate between the obvious degrees of responsibility of the participants either for starting the fighting or persisting in continuing the fighting. The discretion should be exercised realistically." So in applying that wide latitude what constitutes a five-minute major penalty for fighting as opposed to a minor or double minor penalty for roughing? The rule book defines fighting and roughing as follows: Fighting ("...when at least one player punches or attempts to punch an opponent repeatedly or when two players wrestle in such a manner as to make it difficult for the Linesmen to intervene and separate the combatants.") Roughing ("...a punching motion with the hand or fist, with or without the glove on the hand, normally directed at the head or face of an opponent.") I bet this really clears it up for you Sonny. Clear as mud, right? I hope some clarity for you will be found as I examine the typical escalation of an altercation. Spontaneous combustion seldom occurs between two players to achieve a full blown fight other than perhaps in a "staged" fight between two willing combatants. (Do you wanna go? Sure! Pow.) It is more likely however, that an altercation escalates before it becomes a main event. (dfn: An altercation is a situation involving two players with at least on to be penalized.) Lets take a closer look at the altercation involving Evgeni Malkin and Curtis Glencross that you referenced from the Saturday night Flames-Penguins game in an attempt to understand at least the theory behind the penalty assessment. Malkin was carrying the puck out of his end zone when Lee Stempniuk of the Flames slashed the stick out of Malkins hand for which play was stopped to assess a slashing penalty to Stempniuk. Curtis Glencross of the Flames, in frustration of perhaps the penalty to be assessed, knocked Malkins stick away as the Penguin star forward was about to retrieve it. Malkin then pushed Glencross who retaliated with a slash to the shin pad of Malkin. At this juncture in the altercation Malkin used his gifted scoring touch for a well placed round house, glancing right hand (with his glove on) to the head of Glencross. The fuse was now lit, combustion was well underway and a fight was imminent. If we freeze the action at this point (and in an effort to simplify things) Stempniak would receive a minor for the initial slash on Malkins stick, Glencross is assessed a minor for slashing Malkin on the shin pad and Malkin would receive a roughing minor for his round house right hand. (Knocking the stick away and the push would be considered a wash.) The Pens would be on the power play for two minutes by virtue of the coincident minor penalty rule and the Flames would have Captains choice as to who would serve the minor on the clock. (Stempniak or Glencross.) Continuing the action from the incident, Malkin and Glencross became entangled as players and the linesmen immediately rushed onto the scene. While Malkin dropped his gloves and was about to unload, it was only the excellent response by the two linesmen, Lonnie Cammeron and Don Henderson that prevented this altercation from being deemed a fight. Malkins attempted punches from in close hit nothing other than the extended forearm of linesman Cameron. The two potential combatants were quickly subdued and separated without any damage being done. Since the altercation was not deemed to be a fight, no penalty would be warranted to Malkin for not having his jersey properly tied-down. Also on this issue of tie-downs, if the linesmen were not quick to intervene and a fight had ensued and Glencross was identified as the instigator for banging the stick away followed by the slash to Malkins leg, then a game misconduct would not be assessed to Malkin for his jersey coming off his torso. In summary, this altercation had all the makings of a main event fight but when the bell finally rang the linesmen in the ring prevented sufficient contact and sent them to their respective corners of the penalty box to cool off. I hope this washes some of the mud away for you Sonny. cheap nfl jerseys . It all paid off Friday night, when the Toronto right-hander earned his first victory since 2008 with an effective and emotional effort at Baltimore. McGowan allowed five hits over 6 1-3 innings, and the Blue Jays used two unearned runs to beat Chris Tillman and the Orioles 2-0. wholesale nfl jerseys . - Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob says the team is pushing back plans to build an arena on the San Francisco waterfront at least one year.NEW YORK -- Martin Panza celebrated California Chromes charge to Preakness Stakes victory three weeks ago like most fans at the packed Pimlico Race Course -- bumping fists, slapping hands and thinking ahead to Saturday and the possibility of the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years. And then Belmont Parks director of racing operations thought about everything else: the tens of thousands of additional people who show up for the Belmont Stakes whenever a horse has a chance at history; the millions more in expected wagers; and the need for more of everything, from seating, concessions to bathrooms, security and about 1,000 additional workers. You can watch the Belmont Stakes on TSN this Saturday, with coverage beginning at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. Local officials and business leaders celebrated too, seeing the race and the added interest of a Triple Crown contender as a boon of sold-out hotel rooms, dinners out and free publicity, so long as the writers and broadcasters were aware the track is actually on Long Island, as NBCs Bob Costas noted Wednesday, and not in New York City. If California Chrome triumphs, it will happen on Panzas turf -- or rather, his dirt -- at an marquee New York-area event that the tracks new management team reimagined earlier this year as a fusion of sports and entertainment worth attending even when the Triple Crown is not on the line. They have filled the undercard with high-stakes races, increased the days total purse to $8 million -- the second-richest day in American horse racing behind the final slate of the Breeders Cup -- and surrounded the action with music from rapper and actor LL Cool J, former New York Yankees centre fielder Bernie Williams and Frank Sinatra Jr. singing "New York, New York." "For the first year of us doing this, under this new format, its not going to get any better than this," Panza said in an interview near his track office, which was filled with boxes of Belmont Stakes caps and bags of other race souvenirs. "From our end, what we need to do now is observe how the day goes and see what we can do for next year, always thinking that there could be another Triple Crown on the line." California Chrome is the 12th horse to reach Long Island with wins in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, since Affirmed won all three in 1978. Attendance for those 11 races averaged nearly 30,000 more than in years without a contender -- going from a low of 37,171 in 1995 when Thunder Gulch and Timber Country split the Derby and the Preakness, to a record 120,139 in 2004 when Birdstone upsett Smarty Jones in the last of a three-year stretch of Triple Crown contenders in the Belmont Stakes. cheap jerseys. On-site wagering on the race-day program also surged in those years, according to track records, jumping from $6.8 million in contender-less 1996 to $9.2 million the following year when Silver Charm took the first two races, and from $8.8 million in contender-less 2007 to $13.3 million when Big Brown raced for history in 2008. Ill Have Anothers wins in Louisville and Baltimore sent attendance for the 2012 Belmont Stakes to nearly 86,000 and on-site wagering to $13.8 million even though the horse was withdrawn the day before the race due to a leg injury. The head of the tracks management team said ticket sales for this years Belmont Stakes, with its emphasis on high-level racing and daylong entertainment, were already brisk before California Chrome broke from the gate at Churchill Downs in May. More than 70 per cent of tickets and premium tables for the race were sold before the Derby and all were gone before the Preakness, according to New York Racing Association president and chief executive officer Christopher Kay. After the Preakness, Kay said, they added a trackside tent and additional seating to accommodate the surge of interest in a potential California Chrome coronation. General admission and grandstand tickets costing $10 remained available through the track late in the week and more than 3,000 tickets, ranging from $12 for grandstand to $2,300 for a table for two at the Garden Terrace Restaurant, were available on the secondary ticket sales website StubHub.com. Good weather -- 82 degrees and sunny, according to the National Weather Service -- could push the crowd into record territory. "Our intent is to make Belmont Stakes day an important day year in and year out," Kay said. This year it has been an important day -- and week -- for business. The largest hotel on Long Island, a Marriott with more than 600 rooms in Uniondale, and the ornate Garden City Hotel -- where management said all of the owners, trainers and jockeys in the Belmont Stakes were staying and where the menu includes a cocktail named for each horse -- have sold out under race-related demand. Other hotels were also booked solid, officials said, forcing some out-of-town fans to find lodging in Suffolk County, about 20 miles east, or stay in Manhattan, about 15 miles west. "This Triple Crown opportunity doesnt come too often," state hotel association chairman John Tsunis said. "But, whoever wins in the race, the real winners will be Long Island and New York State." cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '