am went to Argentina - so that is a plus for them. These two played in Joburg back in April, and on that occasion the Lions were slight underdogs and were thumped 50-17 --

When it comes to pitching matchups, it simply doesnt get better than this. A lumberjack with a postseason record virtually unmatched in major league history against a guy nicknamed Thor, who throws in the upper 90s with a slider in the low 90s. Its 6-foot-5, 250 pounds against 6-foot-6, 240 pounds. Two huge guys, both as mean as a snake, facing off in a winner-takes-all game for teams that, at least a few weeks ago, werent sure theyd be here. But the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets made it, and each enters the National League wild-card game with momentum.Here are five questions:How good is Madison Bumgarner this time of year?His road ERA in the postseason is 0.60, the lowest of any pitcher in baseball history with at least 25 innings. The next five on the list are Bob Gibson (0.97), Mariano Rivera (1.02), Sandy Koufax (1.04), Lefty Grove (1.11) and Christy Mathewson (1.13). Bumgarner has made seven appearances on the road in his postseason career, and the Giants are 7-0. The last time we saw Bumgarner in the postseason, he pitched five scoreless innings in relief in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in Kansas City. The last time we saw him this year, he was standing on the field at AT&T Park in San Francisco after the Giants clinched the second wild card, with the look of, We will be back here soon.How good is Noah Syndergaard? In his last seven starts, he has a 2.06 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. As most of the rest of the vaunted Mets rotation (Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz) has gone to the DL, Syndergaard has helped the Mets get to the playoffs. He faced the Giants twice this season and held them to a .159 batting average against. The last time we saw Syndergaard in the postseason was Game 3 of the World Series (the only game the Mets won) when he dusted Kansas Citys Alcides Escobar with the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning, then later basically said, Come get me, Im only 60 feet away.How hot is the Mets offense?They were once 60-62, 5 1/2 games out of the wild card with three teams to jump. They seemingly had no shot to make the playoffs but finished with the best record in baseball over the last 40 games, 27-13, to win the first wild card. They have done this, in part, with surprising pitching from young starters Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman, but mostly they have done this by scoring a lot of runs. The Mets did indeed have the lowest batting average (.225) in the major leagues this year with runners in scoring position, led by Curtis Granderson, whose .152 mark was the lowest among qualifiers. But he got four hits in his last seven at-bats in those situations, and as a team, the Mets got a lot of big hits down the stretch. Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes were the primary carriers, but the whole team contributed, including new second baseman T.J. Rivera (wherever Ive seen that kid, he has hit, one scout said) and now, Jay Bruce. After a horrendous start to his career in New York, Bruce has 12 hits and four home runs in his last 25 at-bats.Has the Giants offense finally awakened? The Giants were shut out nine times the second half of the season, but in a very small sample, things turned the final week of the season. In their final four games, they outscored their opponents 26-6 to win the second wild card. The Giants dont have a primary player with a .290 average or 20 homers and 85 RBIs, but their core position players are finally healthy, and its not wise to underestimate Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford or any of the Giants this time of year. They always get big hits.What is the momentum, or the mojo, like for each team?The Giants are rolling, even if its only for four games. They have this belief that no one can beat them this time of year, and they are starting to play that way. The perfect example was the crucial game last Saturday when left-hander Ty Blach, making his fourth career appearance and second start, beat the games best pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, 3-0.And then there are the Mets. They were swept by the Braves Sept. 19-21, losing the last game 4-3 when Cespedes had a walk-off homer taken away with two outs in the ninth on a spectacular catch by center fielder Ender Inciarte. But the next day, the Mets, for the first time in club history, won a game (9-8 over the Phillies) in which they trailed by multiple runs in both the ninth inning and in extra innings. They became the only team in history to win a game by erasing multirun deficits in both of those situations, each with a home run. They have played like mad men since, making this matchup with the Giants one for the books.Giants win. Vapormax 97 Bianche . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Vapormax 97 Uomo . LOUIS -- St. http://www.scarpevapormaxscontate.it/vapormax-plus-italia/vapormax-plus-bianche-saldi.html . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Vapormax Flyknit 2 Scontate . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Vapormax Prezzo Basso . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. After 17 regular season rounds and two weeks of playoffs, Super Rugby has arrived at its finale. Fortunately SANZAAR powerbrokers can breathe easy, as the two best teams have won through to the decider despite a horribly inequitable draw. The Hurricanes and Lions have played some outstanding rugby this season and, crucially, looked to have peaked at exactly the right moment.The Hurricanes season began with an embarrassing 52-10 defeat by the Brumbies, a loss that immediately raised doubts over their potential to challenge for the title without Maa Nonu and Conrad Smith. A narrow loss to the Highlanders followed a week later before Chris Boyds side finally hit their straps, winning 11 or their last 13 - including a 50-17 thumping of the Lions in Johannesburg - to claim top spot at the end of the regular season.While the Hurricanes finished with a flourish, it was clear the Lions would be South Africas only genuine title contenders from the outset. The Joburg side began their campaign in Tokyo before a win over the Chiefs, in Hamilton, really got their season rolling. There were slip-ups against both the Hurricanes and Crusaders at home, but victories over the Blues and Highlanders (semifinal) showed theyve got the game that belongs at the tail end of the season.SquadsHurricanes: James Marshall, Cory Jane, Matt Proctor, Willis Halaholo, Jason Woodward, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara (captain), Victor Vito, Ardie Savea, Brad Shields, Michael Fatialofa, Vaea Fifita, Ben May,Dane Coles (captain )/Ricky Riccitelli, Loni Uhila Replacements: Ricky Riccitelli/Leni Apisai, Chris Eves, Reggie Goodes/Mike Kainga, Mark Abbott, Tony Lamborn, Jamison Gibson Park, Vince Aso, Julian Savea.Hurricanes captain Dane Coles has been bracketed for the Super Rugby final at a sold-out Westpac Stadium. If he is fit to play, he will be the only change to the team that started the semifinal win over the Chiefs last weekend. Ricky Riccitelli, who started at hooker against the Chiefs, has once again been bracketed with his skipper for the final, while there are also two late calls to be made in the reserves. Openside Callum Gibbins, who missed the semifinal with an Achilles injury, has once again been bracketed with Tony Lamborn, while prop Reggie Goodes has also been bracketed with Mike Kainga as he continues to work through concussion protocols. Colesy has made good progress each day and clearly hes very keen to play in the final, Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said. He will do everything he can to be fit for kick-off and if he doesnt make it then we have every confidence Ricky and Leni step up and do a good job if required. Its a similar situation on the bench where were very fortunate to have some quality depth should Callum or Reggie not be able to prove their fitness in time. We will give them all as much time as they need before making the final call.Lions: Andries Coetzee, Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Courtnal Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Faf De Klerk; Warren Whiteley (c), Warwick Tecklenburg, Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert, Andries Ferreira, Julian Redelinghuys, Malcolm Marx, Dylon Smith. Replacements: Armand van der Merwe, Corne Fourie, Jacques van Rooyen, Lourens Erasmus, Ruan Ackermann, Ross Cronje, Howard Mnisi, Jaco van der Walt.After missing the Lions semifinal triumph over the Highlanders, Lions skipper Warren Whiteley is back to lead his franchise in its maiden Super Rugby decider. The side is otherwise unchanged from last week, giving the South Africans great familiarity across the paddock.?Weve learnt a lot in the last couple of years and were fortunate enough to have a lot of continuity in the squad, Whiteley said. Weve learnt how to make the best of hard tours and have fun.Key matchup: Beauden Barrett vss.dddddddddddd Elton JantjiesThe battle at No.10 is central to every rugby contest, but it takes on greater significance this week given the sensational recent form of both Beauden Barrett and Elton Jantjies.Barrett has long been regarded as a classy pivot, but the Taranaki native has taken his game to new levels this season by a coming up with a series of brilliant individual plays that highlight the gulf in skill between New Zealands playmakers and those in other parts of the world. But he has also developed a greater control of the finer points of fly-half play, and the ability to guide his team around paddock - something he did superbly in cyclonic conditions in Wellington two weeks ago. He may just be the best player on the planet right now, though that may not even be enough to see him don the All Blacks No.10 jersey in Bledisloe I.Much of the same can be said for Jantjies. A player of immense ability, the Lions pivot has taken a little longer to fulfil his potential; but buoyed by a Test return against Ireland last month, the 26-year-old fly-half really has the Lions humming. Blessed with a big left boot and a slick passing game, Jantjies has been at the heart of the Lions entertaining and free-running approach - evidenced by the two try-assists he laid on against the Highlanders last week.Key stats (Opta Stats)- The Hurricanes have won nine of their 10 encounters with the Lions in Super Rugby, including each of their last seven. In those last seven wins they have beaten the South African side by an average of 15.3 points per game.- Not since 2012 has a Super Rugby final been decided by more than the value of a converted try (Chiefs 37-6 Sharks).- This final pitches the best attack against the best defence, the Lions have averaged a competition high 36.4 points and 4.8 tries per game whilst the Hurricanes have conceded a league low 19 points per game.- The Lions (25) and Hurricanes (23) have scored the second and third most tries from possessions originating in their own half respectively this season, only the Crusaders (26) have scored more.WeatherKnown for its wind and rain, Wellington is expecting some slippery conditions throughout most of Saturday. The New Zealand capital will only hit a top of nine degrees during the day, but expect that to drop a few notches by the time kick-off rolls around.UBET verdict: Hurricanes $1.33, Lions $3.40 [correct as at 2/8]The Canes lost the home final last year, and UBET customers think they will atone in 2016 as they have been sensationally backed to beat the Lions. This will be the first time since Round 3 in March that any of the Lions first XV have ventured outside of South Africa - given their second-string team went to Argentina - so that is a plus for them. These two played in Joburg back in April, and on that occasion the Lions were slight underdogs and were thumped 50-17 -- the Canes scoring seven tries to three. The Canes have won all eight matches against the Lions on NZ soil, and realistically should be holding the trophy aloft on Saturday night.PredictionDriven by the final defeat of 2015 and the knowledge they remain the only New Zealand franchise still to win a Super Rugby final, this looks like the Hurricanes final to lose. Furthermore, only one team has won a Super Rugby decider in another country - the seven-time champion Crusaders. But it extends beyond sentiment and statistics, the Hurricanes have been nothing short of exemplary since the June Test break - their key men in career-best form. The Lions are loaded with rising talent, but their fairytale story could use another year of development.Hurricanes by seven. ' ' '