ndered into the press box shortly before three oclock, Lawrie could be seen down on the field, alone with hitting coach Chad Mottola, working on his swing. First he hit off a tee; he progressed to soft toss and finally, batting practice pitching. "Just getting reps," said Lawrie. "Not n

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ashleigh Johnson and KK Clark joined a couple of Brazilian dancers for a samba lesson. Maggie Steffens grabbed an American flag for the party on the pool deck. One by one, the players draped their gold medals around the neck of grieving coach Adam Krikorian.The U.S. saved its best for last, and Italy never stood a chance.Johnson made nine saves, Kiley Neushul scored three goals on four shots and the United States routed Italy 12-5 on Friday for its second straight Olympic gold medal in womens water polo.To play as well as we did today in that moment and that atmosphere in a gold-medal game when youve been thinking about this for the last four years is just, its a dream come true, Krikorian said.Makenzie Fischer and Rachel Fattal each had two goals for the Americans, who stretched their win streak to 22 games with their sixth victory in Rio de Janeiro by a combined score of 73-32.I think we really did change the game, said Johnson, who was voted the top goaltender of the tournament. We played completely different than the games ever been played before. Really fast, intelligent, its really fun to watch and its great to play.Russia took home the bronze, beating Hungary 19-18 on penalty shots. Its the first womens water polo medal for Russia since 2000.Neushul and Steffens each gave Krikorian a big hug as they left in the final minute, and Neushul patted him on the head. When the final seconds ticked off, Krikorian walked over to congratulate Italy coach Fabio Conti, and then was tackled into the pool by a couple of his jubilant players.In another Olympics dominated by U.S. women, Steffens -- the MVP and probably the best player in the world -- and her teammates shined as brightly as any of them. The water polo tournament shifted to the Olympic Aquatics Stadium following the swimming competition, and the array of Pac-12 stars that dominate the U.S. roster picked up right where Katie Ledecky and company left off, wearing down their opponents with superior speed, athleticism and strength.The U.S. women were the overwhelming favorites all along -- and they played like it. The 12 goals and seven-goal margin were records for the Olympic final.USA is, in this moment, a team of another universe, Conti said.The Americans pounded Brazil 13-3 before outslugging Hungary 14-10 in the semifinals. They held the lead after 23 of their 24 quarters and trailed for a total of only 44 seconds -- in the first quarter against Hungary on Wednesday.Its one of the best teams Ive ever been a part of, and Ive been a part of some really amazing teams, Neushul said. The team is so versatile, so many different threats. We have speed. We have size. We have athleticism, and I think this team was one of the first teams to display all those different styles in one team.By the time Krikorian and the U.S. staff hit the pool for a celebratory swim, the Americans possessed each of the major crowns in womens water polo, adding a second Olympic gold to their world championship, World Cup and World League Super Final titles.The scene after the final was the top of an emotional roller coaster for Krikorian, who rushed home before the United States first game to be with his family after the sudden death of his brother Blake, a former water polo player at UCLA and beloved Silicon Valley entrepreneur.Before departing for California, Krikorian met with his players and urged them to make the most of their Olympic experience. He returned in time for an opening 11-4 victory over Spain, and then nearly broke down in tears while talking about his brother after the win.Blakes 49th birthday would have been Thursday, and Krikorians wife, Anicia Mendez, surprised him in Rio to be there with him for the sad day and then the final.Its not about me and its about the team, and that has actually helped me and thats made it actually fairly easy, he said, and that doesnt take away from the love I have for my family or my brother. Its more of a sign of respect and love that I think we all have for each other.Krikorian brushed away any talk of winning it all for him and his family, insisting Blake himself would think it was a ludicrous notion, but his players pledged their support for their mourning coach. And they delivered with their play -- all the way to the gold medal.Thats what were about, Steffens said, is going out there, having fun and playing the best water polo we can.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Sterling-Moore-Jersey/ . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Customized/ . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Vonn-Bell-Jersey/ . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Willie-Roaf-Jersey/ .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Hoodie/ . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim.ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Brett Lawrie, still looking to find his offensive groove, spent Thursday afternoon taking extra batting practice. When he wasnt swinging for the fences, he was swinging back at Twitter followers expressing frustration with his slow start. "All u people who chirp when things dont go good have never done anything in pro sport .. Ever .. So shut ur mouths #LetsGetThisThingg #jays," said Lawrie in a tweet that was later deleted. He later clarified what he meant. "I expect that," said Lawrie. "I expect a lot out of myself but at the same time, Im not going to sit there and take all that from people that I dont know. So if I want to say something back, I have more than the right to. Freedom of speech. People want to come at me with something then Im not scared to say something back." As reporters meandered into the press box shortly before three oclock, Lawrie could be seen down on the field, alone with hitting coach Chad Mottola, working on his swing. First he hit off a tee; he progressed to soft toss and finally, batting practice pitching. "Just getting reps," said Lawrie. "Not necessarily working on anything, just getting reps, just getting rhythm thats about it." Surely there was more to it. "Were just trying to control him a little bit more," said Mottola. "The way hes wired his high intensity and in hitting most of the time it doesnt work. Just trying to get some things that will slow him down without saying take away his quick twitch. You know the way he plays third base, the way he hits hes got to be moving but were just working on modifying that a little bit." Lawrie was hitting .175 in 21 games; his on-base percentage a woeful .247 entering Thursdays action. Lawrie shrugs off as an "excuse" the notion hes still catching up after a spring training cut short by a ribcage injury suffered on March 6. Mottola, however, believes therees truth to it.dddddddddddd "We were trying to change some things from the prior year as well," said Mottola. "So I think he needed spring training more than other guys so he could go through the transition period of at bats meaning nothing. And the way he wants it so bad and the way hes probably worse than the way the public wants it so weve got to protect him against himself sometimes because he wants it so bad he tends to try to go get the ball out of the pitchers hands. The way the game works you cant do that." Manager John Gibbons removed Lawrie from the leadoff spot for the finale of the series against the Rays. "Yeah he hasnt been getting on base a whole lot," said Gibbons. "Rajais (Davis) in there against the lefty, well get him there at the top because thats a good spot for Raj when hes in there." Mottola is conscious of Lawries intense nature; his inclination toward constant movement. The mechanical adjustments are minor – specifically moving Lawries hands in closer to his body – and arent meant to change Lawries approach at the plate, which Mottola doesnt believe is an issue. "Every guy is wired differently and thats the way hes wired so we cant take that away," said Mottola. "Were just trying to modify it and control it and put it in different spots of his swing. Saying, okay, you can do all this but lets not do it as much with the body. Hes seeing the ball well because hes laying off some tough pitches, hes getting in to hitters counts but hes not doing what he should do once he gets in those hitters counts so were just trying to shorten it up a little bit." "This is one of those things," said Lawrie of his slump and his effort to work out of it. "Youve just got to keep grinding it out, a lot of ABs and a lot of games to go so Ive got to stick to what Im doing, stick to my plan and just keep getting my work in and keep doing it." Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Gear Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Hoodies Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store China Jerseys ' ' '