Miamis No. 1 priority.If that truly was the case, especially giv

Max Walker, the tangle-footed and rubber-armed Australia seamer of the 1970s, has died in Melbourne after succumbing to cancer. He was 68.A key member of the successful Australian Test teams led by Ian and Greg Chappell, Walker was also among the breakaway group of players who took part in Kerry Packers World Series Cricket from 1977 to 1979. Their stance fundamentally altered the shape of international cricket ever since.Walker played 34 Tests for Australia, bowling into the wind opposite Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the memorable home summers of 1974-75 and 1975-76, when England and West Indies were laid to waste.He also stepped up notably on occasions when the aforementioned pair were injured or unavailable. Chief among these efforts were early in his career: a Test match against Pakistan in 1973 when he ran through the tourists opposite an ailing Lillee, and the West Indies tour later the same year when he led an undermanned bowling attack to one of the teams best overseas wins.Greg Chappell remembered Walker saying: My two most indelible memories of Tangles would be the tour of the West Indies in 1973 when Australia lost our spearheads Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie, meaning that Jeff Hammond and Max had to shoulder the burden of the bowling. The conditions were pretty tough and they werent really conducive to swing bowling, which was Maxs strength, but it was one of the earliest occasions where we became aware of reverse swing, and he was able to get the older ball to go Irish, which really helped our cause.We won that series and he was a big contributor to that victory. The other moment that I can still recall vividly was during the Centenary Test in 1977 when England had dismissed us for 130-odd and we needed something special, and we got it from Max. Tony Greig was always a big wicket, but when he sent Greigys off stump cart-wheeling, the roar from Tangles was louder than that of the crowd. I was in slips and it was almost frightening as he charged down the pitch with both arms in the air, roaring his delight.Hailing from west Hobart, where he lived until recruited to the Melbourne Football Club by the legendary coach Norm Smith, Walker became an instantly recognisable figure for his handlebar moustache and toothy grin. Later in life those features helped him become a popular commentator and entertainer; he published a string of comedic books and hosted Wide World of Sports.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, paid tribute to Walker. Max was an outstanding cricketer who played an important role in the emergence of successful Australian cricket teams in the 1970s, he said. It was a golden era of Test Cricket under the captaincy of Ian and Greg Chappell, and Maxs medium fast bowling and his unmistakeable bowling action were a feature of those teams, and then in the late 1970s when he joined World Series Cricket.The cricket world will be deeply saddened to hear of Maxs sudden passing. As a cricketer, with ball or bat in hand, Max was always fiercely competitive. He was a genuine crowd favourite wherever he played - and nowhere more so than at his beloved MCG, where he had also played senior football prior to his Test debut.Tony Dodemaide, CEO of Cricket Victoria, spoke of Walkers contribution. Max was a positive and jovial character and devoted much of his life to playing and serving the game, during what many would call a revolutionary period for cricket, he said. At the completion of his playing career, Max charmed many on our TV screens as he built his career in the entertainment industry.Maxs contribution to the game was significant and at a time when cricket was undergoing significant changes, playing a critical role in World Series Cricket. A gentleman of his era, Max was able to be part of some moments that will be cherished forever in cricket history and will continue to inspire future generations.Hugh Marks, chief executive of Channel Nine, offered his thoughts about Walkers time in television At Nine and across the game we have lost a genuine hero of Australian cricket with Max Walkers sad passing, Marks said. He was terrific bowler as his Test record shows, but an even better bloke. He will be missed by the whole Nine family.Larger than life on and off the field, a huge character with that laconic, laid-back approach to sport and life. Just a big, cuddly colourful bloke whom everyone really liked - his opponents just as much as the rest of us, Max enjoyed that unique sense of humour made only in Australia, which shone like a beacon in his post-retirement commentary roles on Nine, his hilarious books and his famous have a good weekend Mr Walker television advertisements.Max leaves an indelible signature on Australian cricket and its culture. He will be profoundly missed. Clearance Soccer Jerseys . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Replica Soccer Jerseys .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Hassan Whiteside has been a basketball nomad since he turned professional, never lasting in one place too long because either he wanted to leave or nobody wanted him to stay.Those days are long gone now.Sticking to his plan to decide quickly, Whitesides foray into free agency ended early Friday morning--only a few hours after it formally began, with him accepting a four-year offer to stay with the Miami Heat. The deal as structured right now calls for Whiteside to earn $98 million, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because nothing can be signed and finalized until at least July 7.Whiteside made his announcement Friday on Snapchat and through a post on The Players Tribune, a few hours after he met with the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks in New York to hear their sales pitches. He went into those meetings leaning toward the Heat, and apparently emerged even more convinced that staying with the franchise that helped him resuscitate his career was the best move.Ive played on eight teams since college -- from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China, Whiteside wrote on Players Tribune. I am not ready for there to be a ninth. I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me. Cant wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami.It is life-changing money after a breakout season. Whiteside will be signing a contract worth roughly 100 times more than what he made this past season, when he averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-best 3.7 blocked shots per game. His career path is well-known, taking him to less-than-glamorous leagues in Lebanon and China, stints in the NBA Development League and even getting cut from teams at that level.Wade ended his tweet with the hashtag, Caniborrow5dollars, a nod to the financial stratosphere Whiteside will soon enter.The Heat signed him in November 2014, and less than two years later Whiteside has become one of the games most dominant centers -- and one of the highest-paid players in Miami franchise history.Whiteside made about $980,000 this season, a minimum salary for a player with his level of eexperience.dddddddddddd. Hell now become a maximum-salary guy, or at least close to that level.Regardless of what the final numbers will be, it is life-changing money after a breakout season. Whiteside finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting and became a huge part of not just Miamis path to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs but also the teams thinking going forward.Part of that is simply because of the enormous jump in the salary cap this summer, but part of that is because of the potential the Heat see in Whiteside. What he did this past season left such an impression on Heat President Pat Riley that the nine-time NBA champion went into this summer stating publicly that keeping Whiteside was Miamis No. 1 priority.If that truly was the case, especially given the uncertainty over Chris Boshs status going forward because of how his last two seasons ended early due to blood clots, then keeping Wade had to be priority No. 1A. It took a $20 million deal for the Heat to keep Wade this past season, and negotiations on a new deal havent gone particularly well so far.But Whiteside is staying and made his announcement with flair.On his Snapchat video, someone asks Whiteside, Hey cuz, where you gonna sign?Whiteside replies, Miami, -- as Will Smiths hit Welcome to Miami plays and the words Heatnation it is appear on the screen.Congrats to the big fella, Bosh wrote Friday on Twitter. Great to have you back bro!For the Mavericks, its the second consecutive year where they fell short on the chase for a marquee center.Dallas had a commitment from DeAndre Jordan last summer, in what seemed like a huge move for the Mavs before it turned into a peculiar farce. In the days between that non-binding verbal agreement being reached and the end of the leagues summer moratorium on player movement -- meaning when a contract could actually be signed -- Jordan had a change of heart and decided to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.And the Heat are far from done in the free agency chases; they remain scheduled to sit down with Kevin Durant on Sunday. ' ' '