Neo Workxx » season. Hockey interrupts its season for the Ol

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The best baseball news this past week -- outside of the Yankees basically abandoning their postseason chances, of course -- was Wednesdays long expected announcement that the sport will return to the Olympics in 2020.There will be only six teams in those Olympics, which isnt great, but at least they will be played in Tokyo, which is very good. Japan is passionate about baseball, making those Olympics a much better location for the sports return than when the IOC decided to bring back golf beginning with the Games in Rio, where the sport is not widely played and an expensive new course had to be built, adding to financial woes.Which brings up an important issue. While baseball is returning for the 2020 Olympics, there is no guarantee it will continue in the 2024 Games because the host city could replace it with another sport. If the 2024 Olympics are awarded to Los Angeles, its a good bet baseball will be there. But if one of the other three candidates -- Paris, Rome and Budapest -- get the Games, then it becomes less likely.One reason is the cost of constructing baseball and softball stadiums in cities where the sports are not played very much. That is one of the reasons the IOC dropped the two sports after the 2008 Olympics. Many host cities simply would never use those ballparks again, though the 1992 Olympic baseball stadium was still being used in Barcelona when I visited there a couple of years ago.Another reason is that the IOC wants baseball to send its very best major leaguers, as do most other sports, such as basketball. That, however, is not easy for baseball since the Summer Olympics, unlike the NBA season, come smack in the middle of the major league season. Hockey interrupts its season for the Olympics (which the players love, but the NHL team owners dont) as does the WNBA. Japans baseball league did the same thing in 2008. But dont expect the major leagues to do so when so much is at stake, particularly money. That limits many countries from sending their best players.Of course, not sending the best players isnt considered a major issue in mens soccer where age rules greatly reduce the number of top stars from competing. But the IOC doesnt seem to care about that because soccer is so globally popular.The IOC needs to get over that. Baseball is an international sport. There are current major leaguers from all across the globe, including Japan, Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, South Korea and Germany as well as America. Heck, there was a player from Lithuania in the Futures Game last month. Aside from Antarctica, Africa is the only continent without a major leaguer, though there are rising prospects from there who might crack the majors soon.Baseball also is much more popular than most events at the Olympics. Does anyone really care about the modern pentathlon? Or sailing? Or trampoline?As former Olympian R.A. Dickey told me last year: If you want to get the greatest athletes in the world together, why not baseball?Even without major leaguers, baseball has sent top prospects to the Olympics. Among them have been Jake Arrieta (2008), Stephen Strasburg (2008), Dickey (1996) and Nomar Garciaparra (1992), plus Tino Martinez (1988), Jim Abbott (1988), Barry Larkin (1984), Mark McGwire (1984) and Will Clark (1984) when it was a demonstration sport. And thats just the U.S. teams.The problem is that those players were generally just prospects and so not very well-known at the time, especially not outside America. How then can the majors get bigger names into the Olympics?One possibility is sending a few recently retired players to the Olympics. They clearly will not be at their peak but they definitely will attract attention and ratings. Imagine the passion if Ichiro is playing for Japan in Tokyo -- if he actually retires by then, since he will be only 46 and has said he doesnt plan to retire until age 50.Another move is for baseball to establish the Olympic team early and then heavily publicize it. Make it clear to fans who the players are and that they are likely to become All-Stars. Have them play exhibitions against major league teams in the leadup to the Olympics. That will give them attention and great experience.Whoever goes, baseball should stay in the Olympics beyond 2020. It is one of the biggest sports in the world and it certainly deserves to be in the Olympics every bit as much as synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics. Zack Wheeler Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Travis dArnaud Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Steven-Matz-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Gary Carter Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. New York Mets Jerseys . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea coach Uli Stielike has recalled Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min ahead of next months 2018 World Cup qualification games against Qatar and Iran.Stielike allowed Son to miss the 1-1 draw with Syria earlier this month to focus on his career with Tottenham in the Premier League.For Son and Spurs, it was a successful move. The attacker scored four goals in the subsequent three league games, including a double in the 2-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday that lifted Spurs into second spot.If you look at his performances of late, you can see that Son is playing well, Stielike said Monday. His confidence is high and he is having a positive influence on his team overall.South Korea hosts Qatar on Oct. 6 and plays Iran in Tehran five days later in important continental qualifiers.Son joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 but, partly because of injuries, struggled to settle in his first season in England and was restricted to four goals.Tottenhham head coach Mauricio Pochettino said Son just needed more time to adjust.ddddddddddddIt is difficult for all the players who come from outside England because the Premier League is the toughest league in the world, Pochettino was quoted as saying. After one year and the summer he is a different person -- hes more mature and he knows the league and hes settled in fantastically now. When a front player scores goals it is easy for him to settle.Two other Premier League players have been included in South Koreas squad. Swansea Citys Ki Sung-yeung and Lee Chung-yong of Crystal Palace both featured in the 3-2 win over China on Sept. 1 and the subsequent draw with Syria.The 2002 World Cup semifinalist is aiming to qualify for a ninth successive World Cup.The top two from each of the two six-team groups in Asia qualify automatically for the 2018 edition in Russia. ' ' '