The Athenaeum Forum

PARIS -- Marseille snatched a point with a late equalizer for 1-1 at Toulouse in the French league on Saturday. Bottom of the table with just two points, Toulouse seemed to be heading for its first win of the season after Wissam Ben Yedders 66th-minute strike. However, Lucas Mendes evaded his marker Uros Spajic to head home Mathieu Valbuenas free kick three minutes from time as Marseille avoided a second successive defeat. Marseille, the runner-up last season, moved level with third-place Monaco, which hosts Lorient on Sunday. The two teams are a point behind Paris Saint-Germain, which beat Bordeaux 2-0 on Friday. Saint-Etienne moved provisionally into top spot after cruising to a 3-1 win at Valenciennes. Benjamin Corgnet scored in each half, either side of Romain Hamoumas fine strike. Mevlut Erding also headed off the post for the visitors. Valenciennes grabbed one back 12 minutes from time after Moustapha Bayal was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and Maor Melikson converted the resulting penalty. Reims drew 0-0 at Montpellier, and Evian won its second successive match, but almost let a comfortable lead slip before securing a 3-2 victory at Ajaccio. Brice Dja Djedje gave Evian the lead at the end of the first half and a double from Kevin Berigaud seemed to have handed the visitors the points before Paul Lasne and Gadji Tallo scored late to set up a nervy final five minutes. Newly promoted Nantes beat Sochaux 1-0, with Filip Dordevic heading in Banel Nicoli?as free kick 15 minutes from time. Fellow promoted side Guingamp drew 1-1 at home to Bastia, and rued a penalty miss. Wahbi Khazri fired in a superb opener for Bastia shortly after halftime but Guingamp levelled two minutes from time thanks to Mustapha Yatabares penalty after Christophe Mandanne was tripped in the area by Drissa Diakite. Guingamp had a great chance to snatch all three points when it was awarded another penalty in stoppage time after Fethi Harek handled in the area, but Bastia goalkeeper Mickael Landreau saved Yatabares spot kick, with the Guingamp striker opting to fire to the right again. Chris Tierney Jersey . -- A.J. Burnett was happy to escape from New York. Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys . The Brazilian driver had the second-best time in last months tests at Jerez and said the "good start" could play to his advantage when the season gets underway in Australia in March. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/ja ... rsey/.This one was bigger than most.Ben Roethlisberger and LeVeon Bell came up big in a game that Pittsburgh had to win Sunday, leading the Steelers to a 42-21 drubbing of the Cincinnati Bengals that left the AFC North race wide open. Justin Braun Jersey . Sociedad remained in sixth place with Villarreal a point behind in seventh, both in Europa League spots and in striking distance of fourth place and the final Champions League berth. Sociedad forward Carlos Vela chipped goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez after receiving an equally exquisite lobbed pass from Ruben Pardo to set him up in the 23rd minute at Anoeta Stadium. Brent Burns Jersey . Lowry and the Raptors officially announced a four-year US$48 million dollar deal Thursday. The deal was reported last week but couldnt be made official until Thursday, when the moratorium on signings was lifted. "They were real factors. I did my homework.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Jason Collins ignoring homophobic slurs, Sam Tagesons big day with the San Jose Sharks, Alex Rodriguez in the news again, and Sidney Crosbys Hart Trophy case. Bruce Arthur, National Post My thumb is up to Jason Collins of the Brooklyn Nets. Remember Jason Collins? Big guy, sets screens, commits fouls, plays defence, and recently the first openly gay player in any of North Americas four major sports leagues. He never did much as a player; he still doesnt. And in his first 10 games since signing with Brooklyn, Collins hasnt been a distraction, hasnt created a media circus, and says that only one opposing player has thrown homophobic slurs his way. And how Collins reacted to that was important. He could have named names, damaged the guys reputation, and cost him a big league fine. Instead, in the manner of Jackie Robinson, Collins ignored the slurs. He just played, with dignity. By doing nothing Jason Collins showed that nameless idiot what mattered, and that it wasnt him. Steve Simmons, Sun Media My thumb is up to the San Jose Sharks, and not because theyre my pick to win the Stanley Cup. Well get to that in another show. This week the Sharks made the most meaningful transaction since the trade deadline. They signed 17-year-old Sam Tageson to a one-day contract, and turned one day into a lifetime of memories for many. Tageson was born with a debilitating heart condition that prevents strenuous activity. But against his doctors advice, he has never stopped playing hockey. The Sharks signed him to a one-day deal, had him practice with the teamm, dress with the club, hang around the players, and then skate out through that gigantic shark head and stand at the blue line for the national anthem.dddddddddddd The crowd, the bench, the building, went crazy. For one night, there was crying in hockey and everybody loved it. Dave Naylor, TSN Radio 1050 My thumb is down to Alex Rodgriguez, who once again is embroiled in controversy, this time over supposed unpaid legal fees racked up while he was trying to defend himself from the season-long suspension. If you thought we could look forward to this baseball season to some respite from more A-Rod controversy, well, think again. Theres some disputing the legitimacy of this weeks reports, with suggestions that A-Rod fully intends to pay his bills. And since he has a net worth reported at more than 300 million, why wouldnt we give him the benefit of the doubt? Wait a minute … Alex Rodriguez? Benefit of the doubt? Oh, nevermind. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up in agreement with Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who thinks Sidney Crosby is due to win the Hart Trophy for the second time, though I will take issue with Bylsma when he says there is "no question" that Crosby is the NHLs most valuable player. I do think theres a question – Im not sure why when the Penguins captain is running away with the scoring race and has appeared in all of Pittsburghs 70 games to lead the Pens to a certain Metropolitan Division title, but NHL watchers seem to want to consider other candidates. One problem with that - theres no answer to the question: who else should win? The next time you want Crosby to be better, name someone who is. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '