against Cleveland in last years wild-card game.Rodriquez gave the Rays a 1-0 l

London - Whilst it wont ever capture the globes imagination like an el Cl??sico does or possess the historical significance of a Manchester or Merseyside derby, Sunday mornings Chelsea v Arsenal London derby is without doubt today the biggest football battle the capital city possesses. In doing so, the North London derby has been relegated into a distant second place. Over the last decade and more as Chelsea and Arsenal have gained permanent membership of the Barclays Premier Leagues virtuous circle for the elite, Spurs reside amongst its periphery. Earlier in the week, one London newspaper provided a compelling case of why Tottenham should place the greater emphasis on the Europa League ahead of the BPL this season. Its reasoning, even after only six matches, Spurs stood little chance of making it to the Champions League via a top four finish whilst this seasons Europa League winners will be granted an automatic spot. Comfort though can be taken for Spurs supporters from Chelseas 6-0 dismantling of Arsenal in the corresponding fixture last season in a match that signified Arsene Wengers 1,000th in charge for the North Londoners - which he described at the time as not a bad day but a nightmare. Speaking of nightmares, a player who just cant help himself against Arsenal is Didier Drogba. Wenger, who celebrated 18 years at the helm of the Gunners just this past Tuesday, got a gift of sorts from his London neighbour early Friday with Chelsea announcing Drogba wont feature Sunday due to an ankle injury. Not that Wengers team will need any further motivation to make amends for last seasons aberration but adding a further layer of spice to Sundays encounter will be the sight of Cesc F??bregas trotting out of the tunnel in the blue shirt of Chelsea. This is sure to raise a few eyebrows and one or two Anglo-Saxon opinions from the 3,000 strong travelling support. In his pre-match press conference Friday morning, Wenger reignited his war of words with Mourinho by disclosing F??bregas preferred option was to return to the club he joined in late summer 2003 which was in stark contrast to what Mourinho said this summer after the Fabregas signing was announced. With close to $75 million invested in ?–zil, there was no way back for a player who in October 2003 became at 16 years and 177 days the youngest ever to put on the fabled Arsenal shirt in the clubs close to 130-year history. At Mourinhos pre-match press conference, which took place shortly after Wengers, he refused to be drawn on the Fabregas matter nor offer an apology to Wenger for anointing him a Specialist in Failure back on Valentines Day. No love lost between these two managers then. Mourinho did offer Wenger his congratulations on bringing up 18 years of service in North London. Tipping his hat to the remarkable Invincible Arsenal side of 2003/04 which went the whole season undefeated, Mourinho offered an unequivocal, No - when asked if he thought he could emulate such a unique achievement. In terms of whether there was an added intensity surrounding Sundays derby, Mourinho extended another one word response, Yes. The match has been a sell-out since just after the BPL schedule was released back in mid-June. Ticket brokers are a reliable source of what people are willing to pay these days to attend sporting events of this magnitude. The law of the resell market often states the bigger the occasion, the bigger the pay off. Now consider this. An all-inclusive to October 25ths el Cl??sico at the Santiago Bernebeau, including a return flight from London to Madrid plus a match ticket, would set you back less money than brokers are quoting for just a match ticket Sunday. If Frankies Sports Diner located inside Stamford Bridge for Tuesdays Champions League match away to Sporting Lisbon is any indication of how cosmopolitan the crowd will be on Sunday, then you get a clear idea of what helps to influence the market price for tickets. Then of course as Stamford Bridge only holds just north of 40,000, the law of supply and demand has a significant effect as well. Hospitality Packages, something you couldnt give away when I was a very frequent visitor to Stamford Bridge back in the 1980s, are also sold out. These were offered for sale by Chelsea for upwards up ?￡895 [$1,700]. The only option left earlier today was taking a Matchday Dining Package at the sumptuous 4-star hotel that is located inside Stamford Bridge. One of these would set you back ?￡495, throw in a room for the night and you wouldnt be getting much change out of $2,000. With patrons willing to absorb such sums to savour Sundays match, its hardly surprising Chelsea have for the past five years been weighing up all their options regarding the future of Stamford Bridge. Early this week, it was widely reported Chelsea will remain at Stamford Bridge and move into the home of English Rugby, Twickenham for a season whilst Stamford Bridge is upgraded. The magnificent 82,000 capacity stadium located some seven miles along the Thames will host next years Rugby Union World Cup Final. Much more than London bragging rights, and three valuable points in the title chase are at stake Sunday. Having faced a Mourinho-led Chelsea team 11 times previously, Wenger is still to savour the taste of victory. Diego Costa, who has been an absolute revelation since his summer move from the Spanish capital, needs two goals to make it into Chelsea folklore and emulate club legend, Jack Cock, who took just seven games to hit the 10 league goal mark back in 1919/20. I have a sneaking suspicion as well, Mourinho who prides heritage and tradition above much else, and no matter what the outcome on the pitch, will invite his opposite number into his office post-match to share a bottle of red wine, much like he did so often with the BPLs vintage man himself, Sir Alex Ferguson. Key is will they be drinking a 12-year old bottle of wine to reflect a 12th straight winless game for Wenger or will it be 18-years old to signify the 64-year old Frenchmans loyal Arsenal service? Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Nike Baseball Jerseys China . However, Jim Popp isnt sure how long hell be able to admire wide receiver Duron Carter. Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys . -- The Phoenix Coyotes have won three in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 months, and theyve done it just in time for the stretch run to the playoffs. https://www.fakebaseballjerseys.com/ . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Cheap Baseball Jerseys China . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him.CLEVELAND - As Michael Brantley headed toward the clubhouse door and off-season carrying his belongings in a blue duffel bag, Clevelands All-Star outfielder didnt look up at a TV showing Detroits champagne-soaked celebration of another AL Central title.This wasnt the way Brantley or the Indians thought it would end a€” shy of October.Failing to build off their wild-card appearance in 2013, the Indians completed an unfulfilling season with a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.Cleveland was done in by too many errors, injuries, an inconsistent offence and sub-par years from Nick Swisher and Jason Kipnis, two highly paid players that were counted on.We came in with high expectations, outfielder David Murphy said. I joined a team that went to the playoffs last year. We had every expectation of doing that again and maybe win the division. Obviously, things didnt work out that way.Rookie Zach Walters and Carlos Santana each drove in two runs as the Indians finished 85-77, a seven-win drop from a year ago.For manager Terry Francona, the finality of his second season in Cleveland brought mixed emotions. There was disappointment tinged with some jealousy toward the teams moving on.You go 100 miles an hour, and youre with this group all day, every day, and then all of a sudden it comes to a crashing halt, and you go home, he said. I thought they did a really good job of playing right up until the end.Walters and Murphy hit solo second-inning homers off Alex Cobb (10-9) for the Indians, who failed to build on last season when they hosted Tampa Bay in the AL wild-card game.T.J. House (5-3), whose consistency gives Cleveland hope for the future, gave up Sean Rodriguezs leadoff homer in the second, but otherwise kept the ALs lowest-scoring team off the board. The Indians went 7-0 in his home starts.Despite their many issues, the Indians stayed alive in the playoff race until Friday. They may have fallen short of goals, but the Indians have posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2000-01 and with a core of young players and a pitching staff anchored by Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber, theres plenty of reason for optimism.We did about what we could do, Francona said.dddddddddddd All things considered, I think we said from the first day, you play the game the way you can and you look up at the end and you take where you are at. Thats probably where we deserve to be.Francona rested most of his starters, including Brantley, who made a late MVP push. Brantley is the first player in Cleveland history with 200 hits, 40 doubles, 20 homers and 20 steals in a season, joining Jacoby Ellsbury as the only players to hit those plateaus in the past seven years.While Brantley emerged as one of the leagues rising stars, Kipnis flattened out.After signing a $52.5 million, six-year deal before the home opener, Kipnis batted just .240 with six homers and 41 RBIs. Its a shocking drop off for the 27-year-old, an All-Star last season when he hit .284 with 17 homers and 84 RBIs.Following the game, Kipnis gave away bats as souvenirs to fans sitting behind the Indians dugout.He wasnt nearly as giving with the media.Not from me, he said, waving off reporters afterward. Nope.Murphy and Walters connected in the second to make it 2-1 against Cobb, who was the winning pitcher against Cleveland in last years wild-card game.Rodriquez gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the second, crushing Houses first pitch for his 12th homer.TERRIFIC TWOSOMEWith Brantley getting 200 hits and Kluber striking out 269, the Indians are the first team to have a 200-hit player and pitcher with more than 250 strikeouts since Arizona (Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson) in 1999.EMPTY FEELINGThe Indians drew 1,437,393 fans, the second fewest since Progressive Field opened in 1994.LAST LICKS?Indians DH Jason Giambi hasnt decided whether to continue his playing career, which began with Oakland in 1995. The 43-year-old plans to go home and enjoy his family before making his next move. He said its strange to have an uncertain future.Who knows? he said. Maybe somebodys looking for a broken down 44-year-old to take a few extra hacks.(K)OUNTINGClevelands pitchers struck out eight, raising their season record to 1,450. Tampa Bay, which also passed the previous mark set by Detroit last season, finished with 1,437 strikeouts. ' ' '