Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the IOC and Russias policy towards homosexuality, the poor defence of the Toronto Blue Jays, the stellar defence of Los Angeles Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck and the Canadian mens basketball team. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to the pressure being exerted on the International Olympic Committee and its partners over Russias violent and despicable oppression of homosexuality in advance of the 2014 Games in Sochi. Russia is sending mixed messages; public support of homosexuality will or wont be allowed, but its policies are abhorrent, either way. Opponents are pushing boycotts, none of which seem likely, though its a worthy debate. Either way, this has a chance to be a critical moment in the global push for equal rights. The world will be watching, someone will speak up and the IOC and its sponsors will have a small and unlikely chance to prove that their amoral globe-trotting sporting carnival has any morals whatsoever. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the Toronto Blue Jays, and no, Im not going to squawk about starting pitching this morning. Its about their defence - which has been described by one American League scout as being similar to a slo-pitch softball team. Thats not meant as a compliment. Ive been watching this team from its infancy and honestly, I cant remember a Jays club as poor defensively as this one. Its one thing to be near the bottom in earned runs given up. Its another thing entirely to marry that with being near the bottom in unearned runs allowed. Its a formula that adds up to a last place finish. Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press: Thumbs up to the future of Canadas senior mens basketball team which has gone from a witness protection program to one of promise. New GM Steve Nash gave the program buzz and substance all in one make-it-look easy, no-look pass. Not long ago Basketball Canada had difficulty attracting NBA players but now, according to coach Jay Triano, theyll find themselves in a position where theyll be strong enough to cut an NBA player. Nash and Triano can look at their top end talent and see Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson and Joel Anthony. First overall pick Anthony Bennett and lottery selection Kelly Olynyk and also on the radar as is 2014 projected no. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins. Nash calls this new era the golden age of Basketball in Canada. Fair enough. The fun part starts now as we get to watch and see if they can transform from paper tigers to giant slayers. Dave Hodge, TSN: Steve talked about shoddy defence by the Toronto Blue Jays -- well, on Friday night, a sensational defensive play by Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck reminded the Jays how important plays in the field can be--they can be as good as a Jose Bautista homer, if they can rob Jose Bautista of a homer. Undoubtedly this play made Bautista say something stronger than "shucks". The otherwise little-known J.B. Shuck had a long run to the left-field corner -- he had the ball and the wall to deal with, and he had to leap to make the catch, and then he disappeared.... with the ball in his glove. It was one of those plays that made everyone who saw it happen "live" say the same thing in unison -- "Sportscentre highlight." Indeed, it was.Wholesale Jerseys Online . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. http://www.onlinejerseyscheap.com/ . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. Cheap Jerseys USA . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety.BATON ROUGE, La. -- Florida coach Jim McElwain watched his Gators overcome injuries, an extra road game and repeated adversity in the shadow of their own goal line. That should be valuable experience for a feisty football team thatll face long odds again when it meets top-ranked Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game in a couple weeks.Floridas defense stuffed LSUs Derrius Guice on a do-or-die run from the 1-yard line in the final seconds, and the No. 21 Gators held on for a tension-filled 16-10 victory that clinched the Southeastern Conference East Division on Saturday.I cant tell you how proud I am of our players and our staff, and Im happy for our Gator fans who dont think were very good, but all we do is end up back in Atlanta, said McElwain, whose Gators (8-2, 6-2 SEC, No. 23 CFP) also won the SEC East last year.The final play capped a defensive struggle in which No. 16 LSU converted a fourth-and-10 play on its final drive, only to get stopped on back-to-back runs from the 1 to end the game. Fullback J.D. Moore came up short on third down.Florida quarterback Austin Appleby completed only seven passes on 17 attempts, but one of his connections went for a pivotal 98-yard touchdown to Tyrie Cleveland. Eddy Piniero scored the rest of Floridas points on field goals of 36, 24 and 34 yards.LSU (6-4, 4-3 SEC, No. 16 CFP) controlled most of the game and held statistical advantages, outgaining Florida 423 yards to 270 and holding possession for 34:02. LSU also led 7-0 after Guices early 1-yard touchdown.But on three occasions, the Tigers failed to score after driving inside Floridas 10 -- the first time because of Guices fumble in the first half and the second time because of a botched field goal in the third quarter. LSUs lone field goal came three failed plays after the Tigers had a first-and-goal from the 4.We just shot ourselves in the foot. We had a lot of opportunities, said LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron , whose prospects of keeping the job long term werent helped by the result.Had the Tigers, who came in as two-touchdown favorites, converted a few more of those opportunities, theyd still be in good shape to get the SECs Sugar Bowl bid.Not anymore.THE TAKEAWAYFlorida: Missing a handful of starters, the Gators played with a lot of heart and relied heavily on their elite defense to pull off the upset.LSU: The Tigers two turnovers and botched field goal turned what could have been a fairly comfortable victory into a losing struggle.VINDICATIONMcElwain sounded eageer to revisit questions about whether his program tried to dodge the Tigers when the original game in Florida was postponed by Hurricane Matthew in early October.dddddddddddd Florida balked at initial offers to move the game to LSU as the storm approached, or to play at home one or two days after the originally scheduled time. That left the SEC little choice but to postpone the game until both teams could buy out non-league opponents. But LSU refused to give up a home game, forcing Florida to travel if it wanted a shot to play for a conference title.The way I look at it, they got what they deserved -- and it should have been worse, McElwain said.Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor mocked Floridas critics by making light of the matter.We didnt have no courage, he said. I guess out of fear we fought back.TOUGH DAYLSU starting defensive back Donte Jackson was in coverage on Applebys long scoring pass down the right sideline to Cleveland, who then escaped Jacksons grasp after the catch near midfield. After LSU went down 13-10 in the fourth quarter, Jackson fumbled a kickoff return by running into his own teammate, setting up Floridas final field goal.INJURIESLSU lost a key defender in the first half when middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith needed help off the field. He spent the rest of the game on the sideline with his left knee heavily wrapped. LSU star running back Leonard Fournette, who played despite being banged up last week, came out of the game for good after being stopped short on a third-and-goal play in the second half.EMOTIONAL FLARE-UPThe two teams scuffled near the middle of the field about an hour before kickoff. Several people viewing warmups captured video they posted on social media. It was mostly yelling and shoving as coaches and police working security converged quickly to break it up. Some players also acted as peacemakers. One video captured Fournette pushing Florida defensive backs coach Torrian Gray away from a cluster of LSU players and coaches.POLL IMPLICATIONSFlorida is likely to climb back into the Top 20. LSU might not fall out of the poll , but will be punished for its squandered opportunities.UP NEXTFlorida: The Gators renew their non-conference rivalry with Florida State in Tallahassee.LSU: The Tigers visit Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '