Missing his first All-Star Game since 2008 was a tough blow for Yadier Molina.Even though the 34-year-old catcher welcomed the respite, he was deeply disappointed in his performance in the first half of the season with the St. Louis Cardinals.I hate to look bad, said Molina in a recent conversation with ESPN.com. I hate losing. Im a bad loser.When I am performing poorly and the team is losing, I feel terrible. I am a very proud man in what I do. I want to be the very best. And sometimes thats not going to happen. In baseball, we play too many games, there are so many moments when you are going to fail, but I simply dont like to lose.And struggle the Cardinals?did.St. Louis finished the first half barely four games above .500 (46-42), seven games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs?and far from the team that was 56-33 at the break in 2015 and went on to win 100 games on its way to securing a third consecutive National League Central title.Molinas batting average in his first 82 games in 2016 was .259 with only 28 RBIs, evidence of the much-noticed decline his offense has shown his past two injury-ridden seasons.Nonetheless, Bengie and Jose Molinas younger brother said he paid no attention to the multiple criticisms writing him -- and the Cardinals -- off.We are a good team that never gives up, Molina said. We have had a lot of injuries, players that we have missed, but every time we put someone in the lineup, whatever their last name is, they give their best.We are a team of tradition and know how to win. It hasnt been an easy season for us, yet here we are.It has been a tale of two halves for Molina, and his resurgent offense has gone hand in hand with the Cardinals re-establishing themselves as solid wild-card playoff contenders.Molina said he has no explanation for his remarkable improvement, beyond feeling healthier. With a batting average of .357 and 13 doubles and two home runs in his past 34 games, Molina has had the best offensive production among all catchers that have played at least 20 games in the second half of the season.I play ball the same way every day, Molina said. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they dont. But I have been playing baseball for a long time, and the key is always making adjustments. And each game its different.I also have felt healthier lately, better than the first couple of months. I had two surgeries back in December. A lot of people dont realize that. It has taken a while for my hand to feel 100 percent. I cant say Im at a 100 percent, because I really am not, but it has felt better, and that helped me perform better.The Cards currently hold a 1? game lead over the Miami Marlins for the National Leagues second wild-card slot after losing two out of three games to the New York Mets. But while Molina certainly has a sense of acceptance to the inevitability of the Cubs being crowned divisional champs, he is quick to point out that making it into the postseason is the Cardinals only goal, regardless of how they get there.Chicago is playing really well, but there is nothing written in baseball, said the eight-time Gold Glove Award winner and four-time Platinum Glove Award winner. I have gone through many moments, played in World Series, and weve been back 10 games or 11 games with 20 days left in the season, and we have come from behind to reach the playoffs.Winning the division is one of those things that one would like to do, but the mentality of every player is to make it to the playoffs. Anything can happen in the playoffs. We won 100 games last season and lost in the first round. Winning the division doesnt guarantee you anything. It doesnt guarantee that you will go to the World Series. All that matters is that you get to play in the postseason -- and there, anything can happen. Nouvelle Yeezy Pas Cher . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Yeezy Boost Pas Cher Chine .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.pascheradidasyeezy.fr/ . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Adidas Yeezy Boost Pas Cher . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Vente Adidas Yeezy Pas Cher . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.Note: Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.FridayArkansas State Red Wolves at Utah State AggiesClosing line: Utah State -9A slow start and an ugly finish ended up costing bettors who took the underdogs in this one.Arkansas State turned it over on two of its first four possessions, falling behind 24-0 at halftime. In the second half, the Red Wolves got back in it by scoring touchdowns on each of their first two possessions. But all that did was set up eventual disappointment for the 31 percent who took them to cover the nine points.Trailing 27-14 entering the fourth, Arkansas States first three drives in the quarter all reached Utah State territory. Those possessions turned out to be a field goal, interception and another field goal (after having the ball second-and-goal from the 1-yard line). That second field goal made the score 27-20 with 7:28 left in the game. Utah State proceeded to go on 13-play, 91-yard drive, which ended with a Tonny Lindsey 1-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left. The touchdown came on first-and-goal with Arkansas State out of timeouts.Final score: Utah State 34, Arkansas State 20 (Utah State covers)SaturdayLiberty Flames at SMU MustangsClosing line: SMU -14.5An overwhelming 92 percent of the action was on SMU to cover the 14.5-point spread. As for the 8 percent who took Liberty, this would turn out to be an ending to forget.Liberty trailed 19-14 with less than a minute to go in the game. At this point, it was hard to imagine a scenario in which the Flames didnt cover. SMUs Josh Williams pushed the margin to eight after his field goal with 47 seconds left. Two plays later, that unimaginable scenario was realized. Libertys Stephen Calvert was picked off by Jordan Wyatt, who instead of going down, returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The Williams PAT put SMU up 15 with 18 seconds left, which covered the spread by a half-point.Final score: SMU 29, Liberty 14 (SMU covers)New Mexico Lobos at Rutgers Scarlet KnightsClosing line: Rutgers -7.5You couldnt have asked for a better start if you took New Mexico +7.5, as the Lobos jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. That big lead didnt last long, though, as Rutgers scored the next 31 points and led by 10 entering the fourth quarter.Early in the final quarter, Richard McQuarleys touchdown run gave New Mexico its first points in over 33 minutes of game time, and cut thhe deficit to three.dddddddddddd A pair of Rutgers field goals pushed the margin up to nine, as New Mexico now needed a score on its final possession to cover. The Lobos reached the Scarlet Knights 10-yard line, but ended up having to settle for a field goal attempt. Jason Sanders -- who was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals in 2016 -- missed the 32-yard attempt with 43 seconds left. Rutgers ran out the clock and gave the 32 percent on New Mexico a bad beat they wont soon forget.Final score: Rutgers 37, New Mexico 28 (Rutgers covers)SundayIndianapolis Colts at Denver BroncosClosing line: Broncos -6 (-6.5 for most of week), over/under 47The Broncos officially closed as a six-point favorite, but the line was 6.5 for most of the week. By the end of the game, it didnt matter what number you had if you bet the Colts.With two minutes left in the game, the Broncos led 23-20, and faced a third-and-1 from the Colts 17-yard-line. A first down and Denver could run out of the clock, while giving those on the Colts and/or the under, a winning bet. But C.J. Anderson was stuffed for no gain, and instead of going for it on fourth down, Gary Kubiak took the three points and put the game in the hands of his defense. That turned out to be a great decision for the Broncos, but not so much for the 47 percent who took the Colts to cover.On Indys first play of the possession, Von Miller stripped Andrew Luck (who was a perfect 4-0 ATS in his career vs. Denver entering Sunday), and fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown -- that one play cost both those who took the Colts and the under.Final score: Broncos 34, Colts 20 (Broncos cover and game goes over)Honorable mentionSouth Carolina State Bulldogs at Clemson TigersClosing line: Clemson -53.5If you took Clemson to cover the 53.5-point spread, you clearly felt that South Carolina State couldnt compete. And you were right. But unfortunately, after the Tigers led 45-0 at halftime, both sides agreed to play 12-minute quarters in the second half.In the betting world, a football game is only official if it goes at least 55 minutes. South Carolina State and Clemson would play just 54 minutes, costing those who took the Tigers -- who eventually won by 59 -- a winning bet.Note: Some books paid out winning tickets on Clemson and paid out South Carolina State as no action.Final score: Clemson 59, South Carolina State 0 (No action) ' ' '