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  December 18, 2018 5:14 AM EET

  El Paso, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Duke Blue Devils and Arizona State Sun Devils will conclude their 2014 seasons on Dec. 27, as they meet up at Sun Bowl Stadium to take part in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. David Cutcliffes Blue Devils are taking part in their third straight postseason event after finishing the regular season at an impressive 9-3, including a second-place finish in the ACCs Coastal Division behind Georgia Tech. It is now safe to say Cutcliffe is building a strong program in Durham, as back-to-back seasons of 9+ victories is a first in school history for the Blue Devils. This marks Dukes 11th all-time bowl appearance, although the team is just 3-7 in prior bowl games. The Blue Devils will try to buck a trend of sorts, as the team hasnt won a bowl game since the 1961 Cotton Bowl against Arkansas (7-6). Dukes recent success is something Cutcliffe is proud of. To be selected to participate in the Sun Bowl is both a privilege and honor for our program, said Cutcliffe. The tradition of the Sun Bowl is well documented, and it is exciting to become a part of that prestigious history. Obviously, I could not be any more thrilled for our seniors, who together become the first class in Duke history to play in three bowl games. That means a lot, and it should. Todd Grahams Sun Devils also finished the year up at 9-3 and were also very much in the hunt in the Pac-12 Conference race. Arizona State however, dropped two of its last three games, leaving itself on the outside looking in on a conference championship bout. Still, a bowl bout with Duke is a nice consolation prize. This is a great opportunity for us to compete against a top-notch program and close out the 2014 season on a high note, Graham said. We look forward to representing our university in El Paso with character, class and dignity. Arizona States bowl resume is a bit longer than Dukes, with this game marking its 28th postseason appearance. ASU is 13-13-1 all-time in the postseason, including last years 37-23 loss to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. This marks the first-ever meeting between these two teams. With the emergence of a run game that has eluded the Blue Devils in the recent past, Duke was able to keep opponents honest and take its offense to a new level in 2014. The team ranked fifth in the ACC and 42nd nationally in scoring at 32.5 ppg, while netting 183.3 ypg on the ground (45th nationally). Duke amassed 24 rushing TDs this season, but used several different ball carriers to get the job. Tailbacks Shaun Wilson (590 yards, 8.0 ypc, 5 TDs) was the most explosive back, although players like Shaquille Powell (501 yards, 4.8 ypc, 2 TDs) and quarterbacks Anthony Boone (346 yards, 5 TDs) and Thomas Sirk (232 yards, 8 TDs) contributed as well. Meanwhile, Boone had a strong season passing the ball, completing 56.9 percent of his throws, for 2,507 yards and 17 TDs. A deep receiving corps is highlighted by senior wideout Jamison Crowder. Dukes all-time leader in receptions, Crowder posted team-highs of 78 receptions, 942 yards and six TDs, en route to All-ACC first-team honors. Isaac Blackeney (43 receptions, 521 yards) matched Crowders TD catches (6). The Duke defense had its ups and downs this season, but that doesnt take away from the fact that there are playmakers at each level. Senior linebacker David Helton (All-ACC second team) had a huge season, earning All-ACC first-team honors with a team-best 125 tackles. There may not be a better safety tandem in the country than Dukes DeVon Edwards and Jeremy Cash. Edwards is second on the team with 119 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles. Cash (All-ACC second team) was the only defensive back in the nation to post 100+ tackles (103). 10+ TFL (10.5) and 5+ sacks (5.5). The 6-foot-2 junior also recorded two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Senior end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (42 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) had a solid season coming off the edge. Dukes defense will surely be tested in this contest by a potent Arizona State attack. The Sun Devils ranked third in the offensive-minded Pac-12 in scoring at 37.0 ppg, while churning out 446.5 yards of total offense. Quarterback Taylor Kelly missed a few games under center due to injury, but still managed to throw for 1,874 yards and 20 TDs. It certainly helps to have great players at the skill positions and Kelly benefited from two of the Pac-12s best. Junior wideout Jaelen Strong is a big target (6-3, 215) and certainly created mismatches all season long, finishing up with 75 receptions, for 1,062 yards and 10 TDs, en route to All-Pac-12 first-team honors as well as several All- America accolades. Meanwhile, junior tailback D.J. Foster (All-Pac-12 second team) also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, as he rumbled for 1,002 yards and nine TDs on a healthy 5.5 yards per carry. Arizona States defense could not match its offense in terms of production this season. The Sun Devils have given up plenty of yards (418.5 ypg) and have been known to be susceptible to the pass (261.8 ypg). However, that has led to opportunities as well, with ASU collecting 39 sacks on the season. Strong play in the secondary is not exclusive to Duke, as AU has its own safety tandem of note in senior Damarious Randall and junior Jordan Simone. Randall, an All-Pac-12 first-team selection, topped the team in tackles (101), with 9.5 TFL, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery). Simone (90) tackles made his share of plays as well, with two INTs and one forced fumble. Senior end Marcus Hardison (40 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks, 2 INTs, 3 FF) earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics. Discount Pelicans Jerseys . His second visit, not so much. Roark (7-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings in a 7-2 setback in front of several friends and family members, as the Cubs snapped his personal streak of four consecutive victories on Friday. http://www.cheappelicansjerseysauthentic.com/. Hawkins severely sprained his left ankle while making a diving catch during training camp and went on injured reserve with a designation he could return midway through the season. He was back at practice Wednesday. Authentic Nikola Mirotic Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Authentic Elfrid Payton Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers several questions each week. This weeks topics include the Blue Jays struggles at Yankee Stadium, what the Tampa Bay Rays should do with David Price, remembering Tony Gwynn and his pick for the best team in baseball. 1) What is it about the Blue Jays and Yankee Stadium that dont go together (15 straight losses through Wednesday)? You would think an offensive team would do well in a hitters park. In your experience, what was the toughest park to play in and why? There isnt anything wrong with the Blue Jays. They just cant seem to beat the Yankees. The Yankees have the Jays number.  Baseball is such a mental game. What you think or feel impacts how you play. When one team dominates another like this it gets in the mind of the losing team. It also empowers the winning team. As each subsequent game unfolds, the losing team feels that a loss is inevitable. When something goes wrong in the game it feels like that will be the reason the team loses on that day. In contrast the winning team has a feeling of inevitability as well. They just know someone will make a play or get a big hit to win the game.  The Jays have a defeatist attitude against the Yankees. Im sure they start out each game telling themselves that this will be the day they end the losing streak. But at some point a lost scoring opportunity, an error, a bloop base hit, etc causes the voices of doubt start to scream in their psyche. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I lived this nightmare when I was Mets general manager. We could not beat the Atlanta Braves, especially at Turner Field in Atlanta. It didnt matter what we did, we lost. We could get good starting pitching but their starters pitched better. We could score a bunch of runs but they would find a way to outscore us. We lost every way imaginable. We lost some games with bad first innings and some with bad ninth innings. We lost on home runs, errors, wild pitches and squeeze bunts. We would rally and look like we were coming back and then hit in to a double play to end the game. We even walked in a game-winning run in the NLCS in 1999.  What makes matters worse is when the team that has your number is in your division. With the unbalanced schedule we played division rivals nineteen times each. We always finished second to the Braves mainly because we couldnt beat them head-to-head. I told Braves GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox that if I ever had to pick them out of a police line-up I would have to have them turn around because I chased them for six years and only saw their backside and never saw their faces.  In fact I am convinced that the only reason we advanced to the World Series in 2000 against the Yankees was because the Braves lost in the NLDS that year to the Cardinals.  Our struggles ran from one season into another season. Not even an off-season flushed out the demons. In fact, several years after I was general manager I returned to Turner Field as a baseball analyst to broadcast a game. I remember walking in the visiting clubhouse and the awful feelings of past losses at Turner Field flooded me. It was still in my head. Every team has that other team. Unfortunately for the Jays that team is the Yankees.  2) There are a lot of suggestions that the Rays should be trading David Price now. Would you do it, and what would be your expected return in a deal for Price? What team has assets that fit that wish list? The Rays must trade David Price. Small market teams have to do all they can to maximize their assets.  Price is the Rays most substantial asset.  They cant afford to keep him and they cant afford not to trade him. In order to continuously reinvent themselves, small market teams have to recycle their roster.  It seems highly unlikely that the Rays would trade David Price withinthe AL East. It is already a very difficult division so why make it that much tougher. Certainly the Jays, Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox would all have interest in Price.  But so do the Tigers, Athletics, Angels, Braves, Cardinals, Reds Giants, and Dodgers. The Rays have had success being an organization built around deep pitching and just enough offense. Unfortunately for them, this year they dont have anywhere close to enough offence. The challenge for small market teams is finding the right balance between their pitching and offence. The timing between the two is critical since they cant spend significant dollars in the free agent market to fill deficiencies. The Rays want to compete again as soon as possible so finding young major league talent instead of a bevy prospects is preferred. The team that can make the best deal with the Rays is the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays should ask for 1B Matt Adams and RHS Michael Wacha. This would replace Prices role in the rotation and give them a big power bat for the middle of their lineup. I would expect the Cardinals to say no to including Wacha in the deal.  So the Rays should then ask for RHS Shelby Miller and RHP Carlos Martinez in the deal with Adams. The Cardinals would have a rotation that would include Adam Wainwright, Wacha, Price, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia. Alan Craig can play first base in the absence of Adams and Oscar Tavares can play right field. The Rays would get a quality young starter in Miller, a potential impact starter/closer in Martinnez and a big bat for their lineup.dddddddddddd.  It will be very interesting to see where Price goes and what the deal will be.  One thing for certain he will not finish the season with the Rays.  3) We lost one of the great hitters and great personalities in baseball last week. What is your fondest memory of Tony Gwynn and where does he rank among the hitters you saw play? Tony Gwynn is one of the best pure hitters that baseball has ever known.  He was a student and a teacher of the game. Gwynn is one of the rare players who played for one team his entire career. He is known as Mr. Padre. He never had a contract dispute. He didnt play for the money. He could have taken advantage of the free agent market and squeezed every last dollar out of his ability. But he wasnt about money. He played for the love of the game. Interestingly Gwynn got more attention in his death than he did as a Hall of Famer. People in some ways diminished his accomplishments because he was a singles hitter. The most home runs he ever hit in a season were seventeen. He could have hit more but he chose to stay within himself and do what he did best. He punched the ball the other way. He was a contact hitter. He hit for average. Gwynn had a .338 career batting average. He led the league in hitting eight times. He was a 15-time All Star and a five-time Gold Glover. His .393 batting average in the strike-shortened 1994 season, was the closest that anyone has gotten to .400 since Ted Williams did it in 1941. The hole between the shortstop and third baseman became know as the "5.5" hole because of Gwynn. He had an uncanny knack of being able to hit any pitch anywhere in the zone through that hole.  I remember an afternoon when I was GM for the Mets that I was sitting in my office and heard the crack of the bat coming from the field at 1pm. We had a 7pm game that night so I wondered who could possibly be hitting that early. I went out on the concourse and saw Tony Gwyn taking early batting practice with one of the Padres coaches. I couldnt believe it. The game was six hours away. Then after regular batting practice I saw Gwynn walking with a bucket of balls down to the batting age under the stadium.  He was going to practice some more. The best pure hitter of his era was also the hardest worker. That told me all I needed to know. The other remarkable thing about Gwynn was his smile. He was the least Hall of Fame acting Hall of Famer I have ever met. He was genuine, sincere, compassionate, kind and friendly. He greeted fans and opponents and ground crew workers in exactly the same way. He wasnt too big for anyone and no one was too small for him. Baseball lost the best pure hitter of this era and one of the best ever in the game. But the bigger loss was that of the man that was Tony Gwynn. 4)  Baseball is such a great sport. Everyday gives you some different feeling about your team and its chances. It is made for sports talk radio. Or maybe it made sports talk radio. Either way our team can excite us one day and disappoint us the next. One week we feel like we are going all the way and the next week our team is a bunch of bums. The season is a marathon-long roller coaster ride.  It can be exhilarating or exhausting depending upon the end result. Statistics allow us to continuously grade the progress of our team and how it is performing. The numbers can be made to tell just about any story and often times suit our bias.  I love the weekly power rankings that come out and show which team is ranked ahead of its competition. Each week the teams are moved up and down based upon how they performed over a seven-day time frame.  Seven days in a baseball season is only a snapshot of a team and who they are. There is a saying in baseball that no team is as good as they are when playing its best or as bad as they are when they play their worst. Yet each week we come up with an ordering of the teams according to some arbitrary evaluation. This year is no different. So far in one ranking the Giants, Cardinals, As, Brewers and Tigers have all been atop the rankings at one point or another this season. This is bizarre to me because there is one team that is the best and no one else is even close. The best team in baseball by far is the Oakland As.  Why? The As have outscored the opposition by 134 runs. The next closest team is the San Francisco Giants who are a +47.  Isnt the idea to outscore your opponent? The As have scored the most runs in baseball.  "Well isnt pitching more important?" you ask. The As have given up the least number of runs as well. Back when Billy Beane co-wrote "Moneyball" everyone focused on the need for hitters to have a good OBP. Yet, Beanes teams back then had much better pitching than they did offence. They didnt win because their hitters had a great plan at the plate, they won because their pitchers didnt give up OBP.  This As team is a true "Moneyball" team through and through. They are baseballs best offensive team while also having the best pitching.   Beane has been criticized because his teams never won anything. That means championships. His clubs won a ton of games and got more bang for the buck than anyone else but that doesnt seem to matter. This is their year. Here are my power rankings: Its the Oakland As and then everybody else.  Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys Cheap Cheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '