Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss Simon Whitfields grace in defeat, the pride of Oscar Pistorius, the legacy of Melissa Tancredi and the joy of competing shown by Mo Farah. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to Simon Whitfield, for showing us how to accept defeat. After four years of hard training, of family sacrifice, and of dreaming of one last big race, the 37-year-old Whitfield crashed his bike in his final Olympic triathlon. He knew, right then, that it was over. A six-year-old Irish girl on the side of the road began to cry, and what did Whitfield do? He limped over to comfort her, told her about his own little girls, and returned later with souvenirs. The London 2012 Olympic Games were full of bitter endings for Canadians. But faced with perhaps the toughest one of all, Simon Whitfields first instinct was not self-pity. It was grace. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is up to Oscar Pistorius, the Blade Runner, who made his debut amidst controversy in the 400-metre event of London 2012. But once I saw him run, and once I heard him speak, whatever controversy there was about this double amputee from South Africa immediately disappeared. When he ran the track, he looked no different than anyone else: he looked like an athlete. And when he spoke to us in the mixed zone afterward, he did so with such pride and joy and spirit. He even apologized for being late because as he joked, he had to change his legs. Said Pistorius of the Olympic experience, "its something Ill remember for the rest of my life". Seeing him, meeting him, I left London feeling exactly the same way. Cathal Kelly, Toronto Star: My thumb is up to Melissa Tancredi. While Christine Sinclair was the star of the womens soccer team, Tancredi was its elbows-up engine. I will remember how she planted one foot on the bottom step of the team bus after being cheated out of her chance for gold, but could not bring herself to leave without talking. Tancredi always had her say. She may be the most physical player in world soccer - mens or womens. She was easily one of the classiest and most engaging. Without making a deal of it, she effectively retired after the Olympics. Shes 30 years old. She wants to complete her qualifications as a chiropractor. She says she may return, but... She should be remembered alongside the Howes and Messiers and Clarkes as one of the great sporting warriors this country has ever produced. She didnt ask for testimonials, but she deserves that at least. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is up to the Olympian who best expressed the joy of competing and winning, and in his case, competing and winning the best way possible -- at an Olympic Stadium packed with his cheering countrymen. And they couldnt have been louder or prouder than they were when distance runner Mo Farah delivered them two gold medals. What a moment it must have been when he won the 10,000-metre event, and his reaction at the finish line said it better than words. And then Mo did it again at the shorter distance of 5,000 metres, and it looked as though he was able to enjoy that even more. If London 2012 needed a face, there was none better than Mo Farahs face. Wholesale Jerseys China .C. -- The Chicago Wolves lineup may have been depleted Friday night, but they had plenty of fight left as the NHL training camps loom. Cheap NFL Jerseys from china . 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Subban are scheduled to lead teams of locked-out NHLers during a charity game on Dec.FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Ryan Williams stood and watched as his Arizona Cardinals teammates practiced in the spitting rain on Tuesday. The wet turf and some soreness in his surgically repaired right knee led to the decision to keep him out of the workout. It is part of the cautious approach Williams and the team are taking 11 months after he ruptured his patella tendon in a preseason game, an injury that wiped out his rookie season. "Last (Wednesday) was really my first day of practice since the incident," Williams said. "So there are going to be some times when it will get sore, they will like me to take a break and things of that sort. Its just precautionary." He said he might not play in Sundays Hall of Fame Game against New Orleans in Canton, Ohio, "just for the simple fact that I know Im not 100 per cent." "Theres still sort of a mental block that I have to break down facing another team that will probably be 10 times as aggressive as our team (has been on practice)," Williams said. "I want to make sure Im completely comfortable and mentally comfortable with myself before I get out there." He said he has talked with coach Ken Whisenhunt about whether to play on Sunday. "He asked me how comfortable do I feel," Williams said, "and said Id let him know later on this week." But the diminutive, dynamic running back says he has no doubt he will be ready for the regular season, when he is expected to give the Cardinals offence a big-play aspect it will sorely need. He is expected to give Arizona a strong two-back threat along with Beanie Wells, who remains on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from knee surgery. Wells believes he will be back in time for the season opener. Williams talent was on full display in the teams Red and White scrimmage last Saturday, when he took off on a 44-yard run, the biggest play of the day for a mostly sputtering offence.dddddddddddd Although he has yet to play in a regular-season game, Williams has become a fan favourite, as evidence by his reception from the estimated 14,500 fans on hand. "I think this is such a tough business, you have respect for players that are gifted, that do things on the field you just go Wow," Whisenhunt said. "And Ryan does that every once in a while. Thats what catches everybodys eye, like the 44-yard run in practice the other day." Williams said people who have seen him play realize "that I can bring another dimension to the team." "Theyre anxious to see that on the field," he said. "Im anxious to be out there myself." The Cardinals drafted Williams in the second round out of Virginia Tech a year ago, and he made an immediate impression. His presence was a factor in Arizonas decision to trade running back Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins in July of last year. Williams ability to cut on a dime, combined with tremendous speed and surprising power, gave the 5-foot-9, 207-pound runner an ever-increasing role leading to the 2011 season. But he went down in a preseason game against Green Bay last Aug. 19, and has had to patiently, persistently work on rehabilitating the injury ever since the subsequent surgery. He said he knows that many players have needed more than a year to come back from the injury, so he feels comfortable with his current schedule. Williams also said that enduring the injury and the work it took to come back from it has changed the kind of person he is. "I had a lot of time to myself, just to really sit back and just think," he said. "I felt like I became a better man." ' ' '