METAIRIE, La. -- Jrue Holiday couldnt hide his enthusiasm after his first practice with the New Orleans Pelicans this season.Holiday spent the past three months tending to his wife, Lauren, who gave birth to the couples daughter in late September and underwent surgery one month later to remove a benign tumor from the right side of her brain.Holiday said Thursday he is excited to play in his first game this season, Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. But he was more thrilled that his wifes recovery was far enough along that both felt comfortable with his return.Asked why he was returning now, Holiday said, Because my wife said I could.It was really just to see where my wife was in her recovery. And since shes doing so well, and since my daughters getting bigger, and since my family and her family are there to help her out with anything ... I just feel comfortable being back and being able to leave them, if its on a road trip or whatever it is.As hard as it is, again, Im really excited.Lauren Holiday -- formerly Lauren Cheney -- was a longtime member of the United States womens national soccer team.Jrue Holiday respectfully declined to give specifics on his wifes condition, or where she and their daughter, Jrue Tyler Holiday, will stay during the season. Holiday, 26, said FaceTime will allow him to see his familys progress during Pelicans road trips.The Holidays found out about Laurens condition this summer. They relocated to the Raleigh, North Carolina, area, near the Duke University medical specialists who handled the surgery.My wife was, I think, four or five months pregnant, and all of a sudden she found out she had a tumor, Holiday said. Because she has another person in her, obviously there are things she couldnt do for them to know what type of tumor it was or how serious it was.Holiday said he was able to see peoples true colors in such trying times, and the reaction from fans and the Pelicans organization has left him feeling blessed. He said the Pelicans, from whom he has received constant communication and support, have been open to his taking a day off should he need it.She has great fans who support her through soccer internationally or through her faith, he said. I mean, just on Twitter, every day people are always saying theyre praying for her. ... So many people since Ive been back, they dont even ask how Im doing, they ask how my wifes doing. And to me, thats awesome. That just shows how great people are around us.Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said theres a good chance Holiday, a regular starter, wont be in the starting lineup on Friday as he acclimates to game conditions. Gentry said he will discuss the situation with Holiday at shootaround.Its going to be fine, Gentry said. Obviously its going to take a little while for him to get his timing back, from a basketball standpoint. I think hes in really good shape conditioning-wise and everything, but you have to actually participate and play in games to get your basketball timing.Holiday has maintained his conditioning by working out with assistant coach Jamelle McMillan and a strength and conditioning coach while away.The 2-10 Pelicans are in last place in the Western Conference, but Holiday said hes encouraged by what he has seen.I dont think our record shows how good we are, Holiday said. I do think we have a lot of effort there and obviously there are some games where we were there at the end of the game and we had it won, but [there are] some things that we have to clean up at the end of the game to seal the deal.I can do whatever they want me to do -- if its cheerlead, hand out Gatorades, play defense, call a set, whatever it is. Im just here to help.Holiday was limited to a combined 74 games in his first two seasons in New Orleans because of right leg injuries, but he broke through in 2015-16, averaging 16.8 points and six assists and a career-high 19.7 player efficiency rating in 65 games. His season was cut short after he fractured an orbital wall of his right eye during a game.Im so excited, Holiday said of his season debut. At the end of it my teammates are always there for me. My teammates and the Pelicans were always there. To come back and fight for them like they supported me, Im happy to do it. 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James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Matt Crafton had the luxury of winning one NASCAR Truck Series championship just by starting the race and grabbed a second title by finishing in the back of the pack.Under the revamped Truck playoff system this season, Crafton just may have to win the race to win it all.Crafton, the 2013 and 2014 series champion, should be the favorite to win Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first year of the Truck Chase format. The 40-year-old Crafton faces Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell and Timothy Peters in the championship field. The first to finish out of the four contenders is the 2016 champion.Crafton, third in the standings last year, could have an edge because he won here last season, his first win on the 1.5-mile track. He has two wins this season and finished second and third in each of the last two Chase races.Crafton, in the No. 88 Toyota for ThorSport Racing, can join Jack Sprague for second on the career Truck series championship list with three. Ron Hornaday holds the series record with four titles.Crafton did not finish five races this season and likely wouldnt have competed for a championship under the old system.I wasnt a fan of (the Chase) at the start of 2016 when they said it, but now Im a big fan of it because Im getting to race for a championship, he said.Crafton and the other three championship drivers all caught a break when William Byron, who won six times and was the heavy championship favorite, blew an engine with 10 laps left at Phoenix and was eliminated.ThorSport Racing, owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson, could use a championship as an emotional boost just months after a fire damaged much of the teams race shop in Sandusky, Ohio.The shop is not running at 100 percent. Its still not all there, Crafton said. I knew it was going to hurt us a little bit, but I didnt realize it was going to hurt it as bad as it did. It definitely put a damper on the way we ran because at that point we were just on a downward spiral.Yet, here are Crafton and ThorSport, resilient to the end.Crafton has remained content racing trucks as most of the rest of the field uses the series as the start of a methodical climb toward a Sprint Cup ride. He has one career Cup start, four in the second-tier Xfinity Series and 13 wins in 383 career Truck starts.Im very happy to finish my career out here, he said. I mean, yes, I would like to race the races in the Xfinity Series or run Cup races if I was on the right equipment. But if youre not going to be in the right equipment, youre not goingg to be able to contend to win.dddddddddddd I really dont care to do it.He has the right equipment this year -- and the best accessory could be a championship trophy hoisted over his head.SAUTER FOR THE WINJoey Logano has paid attention to the Truck title race while pursuing his own NASCAR championship. His pick for series champ?Im a Johnny Sauter fan because hes awesome, Logano said.The 38-year-old Sauter had a career year driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for GMS Racing with three wins, 11 top-five finishes and a dominant run in the Chase. Sauter won back-to-back races in the No. 21 Chevrolet at Martinsville and Texas, and was runner-up last week at Phoenix. Sauter has three top fives, six top 10s and a 4.7 average finish over seven Chase races. He was second in the standings in 2011 and finished fourth in each of the past three years.Logano may think Sauter is the driver to beat. Sauter wont go that far.I dont ever consider myself the favorite, Sauter said. I feel really comfortable with where we are as an organization and as a team going into this race. But to say Im a favorite, that would not be doing ourselves a service.BELL TOLLS FOR TITLEBell, who has one win this season, drives the No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Kyle Busch, the 2015 Cup champion, picked Bell to win the championship and but he may nail his prediction. The 21-year-old Bell shook off a slow start thanks to a pep talk from his championship owner.Bell recalled Busch telling him: Look, youve got great equipment. Youre a talented racecar driver. Everything will come together. You just got to stop trying to make it come together.Bell rebounded and reeled off top-10 finishes in seven of the last eight races.Do I consider myself the underdog? No, Bell said. Does everybody else? Probably. I think weve got everything it takes to be successful at Homestead. Our year has definitely not been the year that weve wanted. Weve only won one race. But were going to make it two after Friday.PETERED OUTPeters is the only championship driver without a win this season. Hes been steady with eight top-five finishes in the No. 17 Toyota for Red Horse Racing. The 36-year-old Peters has advanced this far with an underfunded team that has failed to sign a primary sponsor.Maybe tomorrow night we can cap off this big championship and attract the eyes of some sponsors and get it on our Tundra going forward in 2017, he said. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '