The 2014 World Figure Skating Championships begin this week in Tokyo. With Olympic champions in three of the four disciplines on the sidelines for various reasons, it is as though the page has been turned to the next Olympic quadrennial. We will get a glimpse of the future of the sport and meet some of skatings up-and-coming talent like the new world junior champion, 15-year-old Nam Nguyen of Canada while at the same time celebrating some of the sports stars. The setting for this years Worlds is perfect in that Japan is a country that is passionate about its skaters and skating. It is the quintessential skating audience; enthusiastic, appreciative and massive. The Saitama Super Arena just outside of Tokyo holds 18,000 spectators and is predicting sell-out crowds and record-breaking attendances. The only Olympic champion from Sochi that is here is the one that matters most to these fans, hometown hero Yuzuru Hanyu. He, alongside the immensely popular Mao Asada, leads a strong Japanese contingent which could dominate in the mens and ladies competitions. While Yuzuru is the favorite in the mens, his competition is expected to come from his training mate, Javier Fernandez of Spain and his teammate Tatsuki Machida. Asada will face Olympic bronze medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy, Russian teenager and the star of the team event in Sochi, Julia Lipnitskaya, and American Gracie Gold. While there is a lot to get excited about here in Tokyo, Canadian superstars Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir as well as Patrick Chan will sit this one out and be much missed. Even without Tessa, Scott and Patrick, Canada is still in the hunt for three medals. With the Canadian champions out of the dance and mens, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje along with Kevin Reynolds will get their turn to move from the shadows into the spotlight and, they hope, onto the podium. Kaitlyn and Andrew have a clear shot at a medal. In typical Weaver and Poje fashion, they have not let up after the Games and have continued to push themselves and refine their routines. I find their improvement since the Games impressive. With the top two dance teams from Olympics out, Kaitlyn and Andrew are squarely in the mix of five teams for the podium. The race is tight, but a podium finish is in their sights and well within their capabilities. Kevin Reynolds finished fifth at last years Worlds but with injuries and boot problems, he has struggled this year. He did not have his best skates in the individual event in Sochi and finished 15th. We saw what he was capable of during the team competition where he laid down a stellar free skate, playing an integral role in Canadas silver medal win. He has had another month of training under his belt since the Games and he loves to skate in Japan where he has an adoring fan base. I expect that these circumstances will combine to give Kevin an outside shot at a medal. After a frustrating year, Kevin has a chance for redemption and he just may have timed it perfectly to finish on a high. Another Canadian team member who is looking for redemption after a frustrating season is Canadas ladies champion Kaetlyn Osmond, who was plagued by injuries this season. Her break-out year last season culminated in an eighth place finish at her first ever World Championships, a remarkable debut. Her lack of training time has unsettled her this season but I have watched her handle it well with the help of her coach, Ravi Walia. She has a sparkle and exuberance that needs to be strategically disciplined in order to give her the consistency she is looking for without losing the fire. This is something that can only come with time as well as trial and error. When Kaetlyn finds her groove, she can compete with the best of them. A medal may be out of her grasp in Tokyo but there is no doubt in my mind that Kaetlyn can establish herself as one of the contenders in this new Olympic cycle. Canada has two pairs going for the podium. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moskvitch were fifth at the Games while Megan Duhammel and Eric Radford were eighth. They were third and fourth in the world last year and will look for similar results here. Kirsten and Dylan are known to charm their audiences and if they are to get the results they are looking for, they will have to deliver the technical details while winning over the fans. They can go clean and will need to if they are to medal. Meagan and Eric will try to bring home the hardware by capitalizing on their strengths as individuals, the ability to do difficult side-by-side triples, to give them the edge. They take big risks to maximize points and while it didnt pay off in the individual event in Sochi, it often does and you can expect it will here, too. The Olympic pairs champions are not here but competition will still be fierce with teams from Russia, Germany and China battling the Canadians for the top spots. N Golo Kante Jersey . Price was hurt at the start of Wednesdays practice after facing just one shot as the team worked on their power play. He left the ice in discomfort and appeared to be favouring his leg. A Habs source told TSNs John Lu that Price suffered the injury in Sochi and not before the Olympics. Davide Zappacosta Jersey . J.J. Hardy drove in a run for the Orioles, who bounced back from an 8-4 loss in the series opener on Friday. Fresh off the 15-day disabled list, Derrek Lee went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Jake Arrieta (7-3) gave up three runs on five hits over six innings to pick up the win. http://www.chelseasoccerjerseysonline.com/womens-gary-cahill-chelsea-jersey/ . Sections of the British media reported Friday that Brooklyn Beckham, the son of United great David, was invited to a training session at the club on Thursday. Cesc Fabregas Jersey .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday. Branislav Ivanovic Jersey . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It took the Tampa Bay Rays 11 innings into the third game of the series to come through with a big hit against the Oakland Athletics. Sean Rodriguez hit a three-run home run with two out in the 11th Thursday to lift the Rays to a 5-2 victory that ended their four-game losing streak — and Oaklands five-game winning streak. "I wouldnt say it would have been the end of the world if wed have lost that one, but the morale would have been a little lower," said Alex Cobb, who pitched 6 2-3 shutout innings in his first start since April 12. "It was a huge win for us. For Roddy to go off in that fashion and deliver that to us is a big boost that is very welcome." Rodriguezs team-leading fifth homer came off Luke Gregerson after Desmond Jennings two-out single had tied it against Dan Otero (4-1). "It was obviously good to get a win after the fact that we were able to go that many innings with the pitchers throwing as well as they did," Rodriguez said. Yeonis Cespedes sacrifice fly had given the As a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th. Cespedes also drove in the first Oakland run with an RBI double in the ninth off Rays closer Grant Balfour. Josh Lueke (1-2) got the win after one inning of relief for the Rays, who had scored only four runs during their four-game losing streak. "It was great for our guys to do that," said manager Joe Maddon. "We needed some kind of a boost all night and we were foiled in our attempts." The Athletics lost for only the second time in 13 games. "Its always nice to win a series, but when youve won two and youre ahead, not being able to close it out is a little disappointing," said As manager Bob Melvin. &"But you pick up and go on to tomorrow.dddddddddddd" Yunel Escobar drove in the Rays first run with a single in the seventh off Oakland starter Sonny Gray, who pitches eight innings and reduced his league-leading earned run average to 1.99. Cobb gave up three hits and two walks while striking out six after spending 35 days on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. The right-hander tied a franchise record with his third straight scoreless start. "It felt like for a while there might not be any runs scored," Melvin said. "Youve just got to wait out the starting pitcher and try to get to the bullpen." The Rays final out in the ninth came when Jennings was caught stealing. The original call of safe was overturned by a replay challenge that took two minutes and 13 seconds. NOTES: Rays manager Joe Maddon had struggling slugger Evan Longoria hit second for the second straight game, saying he wanted the third baseman to have a "try-and-get-on-base" attitude. Longoria hit just .196 over his previous 29 games. ... OF Coco Crisp and SS Jed Lowrie returned to the As lineup simultaneously after missing games with sore necks. . . . Tampa Bay 2B Ben Zobrist said he still has some inflammation in his dislocated left thumb but hopes to return around May 30. ... Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (arthroscopic right elbow surgery) threw 34 pitches during his first batting practice session and expects to return before the All-Star break. ... Oakland LHP Scott Kazmir (5-1) will face Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (4-4) Friday night in Toronto. ... Tampa Bay RHP Chris Archer (3-2) and Boston RHP John Lackey (5-3) are Friday nights scheduled starters. 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