MIAMI -- A day after Rich Hills perfect game was cut short, more clarity was provided as to why the Dodgers starter didnt remain in Saturdays game against the Marlins.Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts decision to pull Hill after seven innings of a perfect game is what drew the most attention late Saturday night, but there also seemed to be somewhat of a discrepancy as to why the move was made.Roberts said there was a hot spot on Hills finger, indicating that the pitchers previous battles with blisters could arise if action was not taken. Hill, though, said afterward that he was not having any blister problems.Roberts clarified the situation Sunday morning.He said the blister wasnt affecting him; thats true, Roberts said. Obviously, he was throwing the ball well. But in talking to the trainer, when you start looking at the blister from a medical viewpoint and you start seeing some tenderness -- as the trainer has gotten familiar with Richs blister -- those are symptoms and signs that the next step is a blister that could present itself.Roberts admitted that if the situation arose earlier in the season instead of September -- in the middle of a chase for the division title -- he might have handled things differently.I think if it was earlier in the year I would have let him go back out there, yes, Roberts said. But weve got Clayton [Kershaw] coming back. He threw three innings the night before. What weve done since February to get to the point were at with two and a half weeks left in the season, it just wasnt worth the risk. Richie is throwing as good as anyone in all of baseball. To take the risk to lose him for the postseason is irresponsible, I think, on my part.Roberts actually had Grant Dayton warming up in the sixth inning Saturday and thought of removing Hill then. He then decided to let his pitcher go seven innings before Joe Blanton replaced him in the eighth. Blanton gave up a two-out single to end the perfect game.There has never been a combined perfect game in major league history. In fact, Hills outing Saturday is now the longest a starting pitcher had lasted before being removed after retiring everybody he had faced.Roberts was jokingly congratulated on his move that made history.Wow, thats great, Roberts said with a smirk. Thats not what I envisioned my first year as manager, so thanks for that one.Roberts also removed Ross Stripling from a potential no-hitter on April 8 at San Francisco. Stripling had thrown 7 1/3 hitless innings in his major league debut at San Francisco, but Roberts removed him as a precaution because the young right-hander was just two years removed from Tommy John surgery.Much has been made of the decisions Roberts has been forced to make with both Stripling and Hill. But for pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, the moves were twice as stressful, especially with Hill on Saturday.Im always going to side with the pitcher, but at the same time, this is trying to do something bigger than an individual situation, Honeycutt said. Both of those are the right call. But it doesnt make it any easier. My gut just feels sick about [Hill] having to go through that. And for Dave too. Somebody has to make the call and he has to make it.Roberts said he got plenty of input in April when he made the decision to pull Stripling from his April no-hitter. On Saturday night, he primarily sought the voice of just one person for solace. Roberts called his 15-year-old son Cole.I didnt watch any of it or read any of it, Roberts said. I called my son and made sure he wasnt mad at me because he was mad after I took Stripling out. He wasnt mad. Buy Nike React . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Nike React Cheap China . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapnikereact.net/ . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Cheap Nike React China . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Cheap Nike React Shoes . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Each quarter begins with pure, unbridled speed, a furious dash from the mouth of the goal to the middle of the pool while your opponent comes barreling at you from the opposite direction. At stake is the most valuable commodity in water polo: possession of the ball.While players have all sorts of tricks for winning the sprints, they all agree on one thing: Practice makes perfect.Pushing off the wall is way better, U.S. driver Rachael Fattal said. But (you) try to get momentum, so if you can get momentum its not too bad. Its definitely something you have to work on.U.S. coach Adam Krikorian lets his players decide who takes the sprints -- They know better than I do, he said -- and it worked out quite well in an 11-6 victory over Hungary on Saturday, concluding a 3-0 run through group play for the defending Olympic champions. The Americans had the ball at the beginning of each quarter, with Fattal taking two sprints, Hungary jumping early on one and the U.S. winning a jump ball after a tie-up in the fourth.Fattal said captain Maggie Steffens lines up next to her for the sprints and helps her watch the referees.I only look at one. Maggies telling me what the other ref behind me is doing, Fattal said. So when she puts her hand up I know that my persons going to put their hand up and get ready to go, but I just go as fast as I can. I put my head down and hold my breath and I go.Standing nearby, Steffens pointed right back to Fattal.Shes a competitor, Steffens said.Timing the starting whistle is a big key -- If you start little bit later, you dont have a chance, said Zivko Gocic, the captain of Serbias mens team -- but you also have to get up to full speed as quickly as possible -- without the benefit of starting blocks or a wall.Its pretty tough, Australia driver Keesja Gofers said. Its always nice to do sprints off the wall, when you get a nice push-off. But we do work a lot on our breaststtroke and egg beater (kicks), so were used to starting from nothing and like changing speeds.dddddddddddd.Gofers and Rowie Webster scored two goals apiece to help Australia beat Brazil 10-3 to finish second in Group A behind unbeaten Italy. Australia will face Hungary in Mondays first quarterfinal when the tournament shifts to the Olympic Aquatics Stadium for the next round.Also Saturday, Laura Lopez Ventosa scored four times as Spain pulled away from China for a 12-8 victory, and Roberta Bianconi had three goals in Italys 10-5 win against Russia. Spain and Russia meet in Mondays quarters, and Italy takes on China.Next up for the United States is Brazil, which has dropped each of the three meetings between the countries this year by a combined score of 55-7.The U.S. got a preview of what it likely will see more and more the rest of the way when Hungary tried a physical approach against the speedy Americans. But Steffens scored four times and Maddie Musselman had three goals to send the U.S. to its 19th straight victory.Thats what we need to be ready for, Krikorian said. I think Id be shocked if teams dont come out and play real more physical with us. Everyones looking for an edge and trying to find a way to gain an advantage and obviously thats one way to play.Steffens leads the tournament with 10 goals after scoring 21 times during the United States march to its first Olympic gold. The Stanford star seems to have picked up right where she left off in London.Shes a captain for a reason, Krikorian said. Obviously an excellent player, but Id say an even better leader, and someone that we can kind of count on to play with intelligence and play with intensity all the time. Thats exactly what you want out of your leader.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '