d met in London, a match which determined whether the Kiwis would qualify for the final in Liverpool.The result went their way when Australia won b

The north Canterbury earthquake has impacted personally on several members of the Kiwis team as they prepare for the Four Nations decider.Utility Lewis Brown says Sundays final against Australia was far from the players minds when news arrived of the damaging quake which struck close to midday on Sunday (UKT).The quake hit just before Australia and England met in London, a match which determined whether the Kiwis would qualify for the final in Liverpool.The result went their way when Australia won but Brown revealed a lot of his team didnt watch the game, for various reasons.For some, it was because of the news unfolding at home, with concern over the continuing aftershocks.Obviously its a bit close to home for us, Brown said.The boys are a bit rattled. A few of them are from Wellington and some of them had families evacuated or friends who got evacuated.Brown was born and raised in Christchurch and was quickly on the phone to family members.Relief that nobody was harmed was followed by anguish that his home town is suffering again, nearly six years after the devastating 2011 Christchurch quake.The citys been through a lot, he said.I just want it to give them a break. Everyones wondering when its going to stop.Its not very pleasant seeing things like that happen in your own backyard.Brown is confident the Kiwis can put events at home to one side and focus on how to avoid a fourth loss this year to the unbeaten Kangaroos.The scratchy 18-18 draw with Scotland on Friday compared unfavourably with Australias impressive 36-18 dismantling of the English.Brown says the Kiwis have struggled for consistency at the tournament and the Scottish performance was a step backwards from the opening 17-16 win over England and 14-8 loss to Australia.Its a wake-up call to be honest, maybe a blessing in disguise, he said.We havent had a full 80 minutes of football. We have a lot of calibre in this side and we havent put it together yet.Luckily enough for us, we get another bite at the cherry. But it hasnt been ideal. Wholesale White Sox Jerseys . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Cheap Bobby Jenks Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-joe-crede-jersey . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Cheap Ron Santo Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Cheap White Sox Jerseys Authentic . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowas visiting football locker room received a Michigan makeover Saturday before the teams squared off in a prime-time game at Kinnick Stadium.Instead of the famed pink walls that have come to define the space, Michigans equipment staff redecorated with a room full of maize and blue pictures, flags and phrases.The equipment team posted a 58-second video on Twitter showing off the new look while Hail to the Victors played over the sound system. Some areas were draped in large, blue tarps. There were plenty of block M images and Jordan brand logos to go around.Former Iowa coach Hayden Fry had the Hawkeyes visiting locker room painted pink in 1979, purportedly as a means to gain a pregame psychological advantage against opponents.dddddddddddd The school rebuilt its pink locker room in 2005 during a stadium renovation project, and it has been the subject of controversy since.No. 3 Michigan (9-1, 7-1 Big Ten; No. 2 AP) entered the game as a three-touchdown favorite, but the Hawkeyes won 14-13 on a last-second field goal. ' ' '