FU Turniere » Daniels seems to subscribe to the sleeve

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Josh Boyd isnt into making a fashion statement, and he doesnt think he needs to go sleeveless to show off his toughness. All the Packers defensive lineman wants is to stay warm in the subzero weather when Green Bay hosts the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC wild-card showdown that could be one of the coldest playoff games in NFL history. So many intriguing story lines between these two NFC powers, and yet the arctic cold may trump them all. "Yeah, Im definitely going sleeves," said Boyd, a rookie from Mississippi. "I mean, I dont see it as a tough guy thing. I just see it as being comfortable." The National Weather Service forecast called for a high temperature in Green Bay on Sunday of 2 degrees, with north-northwest winds making it feel more like minus-15 to minus-20. The coldest NFL game on record is the 1967 championship game, known as the "Ice Bowl" won by the Packers 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on New Years Eve. The temperature dipped to minus-13, and the wind chill that day was minus-48. This might be little consolation to Boyd, for whom cold games in college meant playing in 30- or 40-degree weather. "Im from Mississippi, so this is a whole other animal," Boyd said. "Ive never seen negatives until I got here." Linemen are renowned for toughing out inclement weather without sleeves under jerseys. Dont want to give the opponent even the slightest idea that youre soft, the line of thinking goes. Well, 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith is as tough as they come, and even he might wear sleeves for what he estimates would be just the second or third time in his 13-year career. "Youre not going to have an advantage having no sleeves. Youre not going to scare the opponent," said Smith, who has 6 1/2 sacks. Across the line of scrimmage, centre Jonathan Goodwin said he had no problem wearing sleeves. "I gave up on the dont wear sleeves to look tough a long time ago," he said. In some ways, players might be warmer than the 80,000 fans expected to pack frigid Lambeau. Once they get to the sideline, players can take a break on heated benches. Theyll likely wear long, heavy coats while not in the game. "This is not the norm. Anytime you get outside the norm for whatever your occupation, its obviously challenging mentally and physically," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Thats definitely going to be the case Sunday." Footing on the field will be a key issue. Lambeau does have a heating system buried beneath the turf, encompassing 30 miles of pipes. There was supposed to be a brief "break" in the cold snap with temperatures rising into the upper 20s on Saturday, which McCarthy said would give groundskeepers a key day to work on the field. "It could be just a normal game thats played at a little slower pace. Or it could be where theres a lot of slipping and sliding going on, then you have to adjust a little bit," 49ers defensive co-ordinator Vic Fangio said. "You need to wait to see Sunday exactly see how the field affects the game." Another key for players will be to stay hydrated, though McCarthy jokingly put his index finger to his lips as if to tell a reporter to not let out the secret when asked the question Friday. "Weve seen it in past games where guys do cramp, so yes, its all part of our preparation," McCarthy said. If not for the arctic front marching into Wisconsin, more of the attention before Sundays game might be focused on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks mastery of Green Bay in the teams last two meetings. Or quarterback Aaron Rodgers triumphant return from a left collarbone injury to help the resurgent Packers get back into the playoffs. Instead, San Francisco and Green Bay will have to deal with an unwelcome extra opponent: the bitter cold. Packers defensive lineman Mike Daniels seems to subscribe to the sleeves-are-soft philosophy. He doesnt like wearing them and plans to just play through the big chill and block out the conditions. And dont get him started on hand warmers. "I see offensive linemen with hand warmers, that tells me about them, man," Daniels said. "A defensive line coach in college said that, so I kind of kept that mentality." Dale Hawerchuck Jersey . Rasmussen didnt have a decision during his four appearances in May, when he gave up two hits and no runs in two innings. Toronto used five relievers while pulling off the second-biggest comeback in franchise history on Friday night, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to a 14-9 win. Thomas Steen Jersey . The Jays responded to the three-spot Detroit placed on Casey Janssen the evening before with an attack on the Tigers Achilles Heel, its bullpen, tying the game in the ninth and winning the game in the 10th. The result absolved Marcus Stroman, brilliant once again, of a tough luck loss while at the same time robbing Max Scherzer, brilliant once again, of a deserved win. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/a...coyotes-jersey/. According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts. Jakob Chychrun Jersey . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Niklas Hjalmarsson Jersey . A better question yet may be this: How many times has the same player been involved in both? Morneau hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and helped the Colorado Rockies turn the third triple play in team history as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 on Sunday.OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Mustafa Shakur to a 10-day contract. Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced the signing Sunday and said Shakur was expected to be in uniform when Oklahoma City hosted the Dallas Mavericks. Shakur replaces Reggie Williams on the Thunders roster. Williams 10-day contract expired Saturday. Shakur has played in 37 NBA Development League games this sseason, most recently with the Tulsa 66ers, and has averaged 16.dddddddddddd7 points, 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He was named as the D-Leagues defensive player of the month for February. Shakur hasnt played in the NBA since appearing in 22 games for the Washington Wizards during the 2010-11 season. He spent time on the Thunders roster during the 2009-10 season but didnt appear in any games. ' ' '