It was 10:35am on March 9, 2012. Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Wed been there for a few minutes already. We were early (as we usually are) for the Whitecaps practice, which was scheduled to begin at 11am. There wasnt a soul to be seen outside the dressing room, as all of the players and coaches were already inside preparing for training. The time is etched in my memory because it was then, at 10:35am, that Darren Mattocks came strolling down the hallway. Big headphones blaring, he didnt look like he had a care in the world. He certainly didnt look like a rookie who was late for the last practice before his first game as a professional soccer player. He bowled on by and walked into the dressing room - the last player to arrive by a wide margin. I turned to Luke, completely bewildered by what I had just witnessed, and asked him, "Is he having a laugh?" (Im paraphrasing - my choice of words were far more industrial than that.) "That would NEVER happen in Europe. No chance. The senior players would crucify him for that. And the manager would have him banished to train with the youth team." I couldnt believe what Id seen. In 18 years as a professional player in Canada and the UK, Id never seen a young player show such blatant disrespect for the rules and hierarchy of a football club. First to arrive, last to leave is a principle that all rookies (apart from Mattocks, clearly) adhere to religiously. They do so because they know that they not only have to impress their manager, but more importantly, they have to impress their teammates. They have to earn the respect of the senior players if they are ever going to be considered one of them. You see, experienced players can suss out a fraud in less than one training session, and it doesnt take long for them to figure out if a young player comes with an ego. Those egos dont last very long though, because the senior players simply dont tolerate them. They chip away at the arrogance of youth, exposing flaws until the young player sees the light; that they arent the finished article and that they have to work hard if they are ever going to fulfill their potential. It is a humbling that involves brutal honesty, but it teaches young players humility and mental resiliency - two vital ingredients in having a lengthy professional career. That humbling clearly hasnt happened for Darren Mattocks. He has been allowed to live in the bubble that he has created for himself - one in which he thinks hes already the finished article. Mattocks spoke on a Jamaican football program this week, where he revealed that he "carried Vancouver to the playoffs last year" and that "every team in MLS wants me". On former head coach Martin Rennie, Mattocks said this, "If me can do successful [sic] with my first season, and in my second season, you will try to jeopardize my career, Im not naive and Im not gonna stay (in Vancouver)." His responses were as brazen and as arrogant as Ive ever seen. You could write Mattocks attitude off to his youth, but he is 23-years old. Its not like he is a baby in the world of football. Hes a grown man, at an age where his European counterparts will have already amassed 150+ first team games. You could also argue that someone has been filling his head with ideas of grandeur, leading him to believe that he really is the world-class striker that he imagines himself to be. But these arguments are nothing more than excuses. They wont help Darren Mattocks. What he needs is some tough love. What he needs is for someone to hold a mirror in front of his game, so that he can see himself for the player that he really is. So here goes. Darren, you have exceptional athletic ability, and you are arguably one of the finest athletes in Major League Soccer. But you were voted the top prospect in MLS under the age of 24 last year because of your potential, not because you are the finished article. You are a 23-year old man, but you have the football intelligence of a 15-year-old boy. You are reactive, rather than proactive, and you use your pace and athleticism to make up for the fact that you are often in the wrong position to begin with. The timing of your runs is poor, your finishing is poor, and you do not retain possession of the ball nearly well enough to be considered amongst the leagues best. You did not play a starring role this season because you simply didnt earn the right to do so. You are judged on everything you do - in training, in games, in your demeanour on and off the field - not just on your statistics. Unless you realize this, you will never be in a position to fulfill your undoubted potential. Unless you realize this, you will become just another player who failed to live up to his potential. The choice is yours, Darren. You can carry on believing that it was Martin Rennies fault that you had a poor season. But youd be wrong. You are the only reason you struggled this year. If anything, Martin tried to protect you from the things Ive just told you, because Im not alone in my assessment of your game. Many of the senior players in your dressing room think the exact same things. And I suspect that now that Martin is gone, youll be hearing it from them very soon. For your sake, I hope you listen to them. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Patton told The Baltimore Sun that he took an Adderall pill four days before the season finished, trying to improve his short-term focus. "I took one because I was stupid," Patton told The Sun. Wholesale NFL Jerseys USA . Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Paul George and Darren Collison each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers (9-3), who won their third straight. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit.ATLANTA -- David Hale made things difficult on the Reds by facing the minimum 21 batters over his last seven innings. That performance leaves Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez with a tough decision. Hale allowed only two hits over eight innings in a performance that may not be enough to save his spot in Atlantas rotation and the Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Saturday night. Hale (1-0) has a 2.31 ERA in four starts but could lose his spot in the rotation next week, when left-hander Mike Minor is expected to come off the disabled list. Hale, a rookie right-hander, had good command of his sinkerball as he made it difficult for the Braves to send him back to Triple-A Gwinnett. "I mean, obviously that stuff runs through my head," Hale said of keeping his spot in the rotation. "I try not to let it get too deep in there. My goal is to be here and do the best I can and let things fall the way they will, so well see what happens." Freddie Freeman, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis each homered off Cincinnatis Mike Leake (2-2). Hale gave up a walk and two hits, including Ryan Ludwicks run-scoring double, in the first inning. He didnt allow another hit over the next seven innings. "So he threw a no-hitter after that," Ludwick said. "He did an outstanding job. What did we have? Two hits? ... Not a whole lot of offence." Reds manager Bryan Price said Hale "just never really gave us a chance. He pitched really well. It was very impressive." Cincinnatis only other baserunner against Hale came on Jay Bruces leadoff walk in the fourth, and the Braves ended that inning with a double play. Craig Kimbrel closed the combined two-hitter -- a season low for the Reds -- for his eighth save. Kimbrel gave up a one-out walk to Joey Votto in the ninth before striking out Brandon Phillips and Bruce to end the game. Freeman hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Upton and Gattis hit back-to-back homers in the third. Upton, who also hit a homer in the Braves 5-4 win on Friday night, leads the team with seven. Ludwick reached over the left-field wall to take another homer away from Freeman in the third innning.dddddddddddd The three homers matched the most allowed in a game by Leake, who gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings. Minor was projected as one of the teams top starters even before Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy had season-ending elbow injuries in spring training. Minor had urinary tract surgery on Dec. 31, which pushed back his spring schedule. He then developed shoulder soreness and was shut down in spring training. Before the game, Gonzalez brushed off Minors ugly numbers in what is expected to be his final minor league rehab appearance on Friday night for Double-A Mississippi at Pensacola. Gonzalez said a "howling" wind was a major factor as Minor gave up five runs and 10 hits, including four homers. Gonzalez said hell wait until after Minors next side session to announce any rotation changes for next week. After Hales dominant performance, Gonzalez wouldnt be drawn into a discussion on how hell find a spot for Minor. "Let me enjoy the day, and well talk about it in the morning," Gonzalez said. The Reds held out third baseman Todd Frazier after he left Friday nights game with tightness in his left leg. Price said Frazier probably could have played and likely will miss only one game. Neftali Soto was 0-for-3 in his first career start as Fraziers replacement. NOTES: The Cincinnati Reds placed C Devin Mesoraco on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. The team recalled C Tucker Barnhart from Triple-A Louisville. ... Leake also allowed three homers against Pittsburgh on July 19, 2013. ... Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman, on the DL with facial fractures after he was hit by a line drive on March 19, threw 43 pitches in batting practice. He is scheduled to throw another simulated game on Tuesday in Cincinnati before beginning a rehab stint in the minors. ... B.J. Uptons infield single in the first was his 1,000th career hit. ... The Braves released Triple-A Gwinnett first baseman Ernesto Mejia after reaching a deal for him to play with Japans Seibu Lions. ... The series ends Sunday with Atlantas Julio Teheran facing Johnny Cueto in a matchup of right-handers with ERAs under 2.00. ' ' '