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NEW YORK -- San Francisco third baseman Eduardo Nunez was left off the roster for Wednesday nights NL wild-card game against the New York Mets, and the Giants opted to go with 11 pitchers.Madison Bumgarner started for the Giants, and manager Bruce Bochy had 10 bullpen options: right-handers Santiago Casilla, Johnny Cueto, George Kontos, Derek Law, Sergio Romo, Jeff Samardzija and Hunter Strickland, and left-handers Javier Lopez, Steven Okert and Will Smith.Cueto and Samardzija are usually starters.Theyre both fresh, Bochy explained. Jeff has experience pitching out of the bullpen. I can use him anywhere. Johnny, hes one of the best pitchers in the game and hes fresh. It gives us another long man. ... So it just gives us coverage there.We just felt the pitcher was more important than a third catcher. So thats why theyre on here, he added.Giants pitchers Matt Cain and Jake Peavy werent included on the 25-man roster.Nunez, an AL All-Star this season with Minnesota, was acquired in a July 28 trade but hasnt played since Sept. 25 because of a strained right hamstring. He planned to test his leg during Tuesdays workout at Citi Field.He couldnt pass the test that we were hoping he could pass. Thats running, sprinting. Hes just not ready. So theres no point in putting him in harms way, Bochy said. We still thought maybe he could help out in some way, but its just too much of a risk. Hes not ready and hes not healthy enough to play.Conor Gillaspie was in the starting lineup at third base.New York went with an eight-man bullpen behind starter Noah Syndergaard: right-handers Bartolo Colon, Jeurys Familia, Robert Gsellman, Addison Reed, Hansel Robles and Fernando Salas, and left-handers Jerry Blevins and Josh Edgin. Colon, a starter, was effective in a bullpen role during the 2015 postseason and likely would start the Division Series opener at Chicago on Friday if the Mets advanced.First baseman Lucas Duda, sidelined from May 20 to Sept. 18 by a stress fracture in his lower back, was left off the roster. He went 5 for 23 (.217) with two doubles and four RBI after returning.James Loney, who filled in for Duda most of the season, was in the starting lineup at first base. Loney batted .265 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 100 games this year.Thought wed play a guy that is certainly an outstanding defender for us, saved a lot of runs for us, manager Terry Collins said.I talked to Lucas about it. I know he worked very, very hard to get back and get ready, but this is an awful big challenge tonight for a guy thats just been back for 10 days. So I went with James.Duda hit 57 home runs from 2014-15 and could have posed a power threat off the bench. But the Mets decided against that, too.With their bullpen, if Lucas Duda comes up, hes going to face a lefty. I know that, Collins said. So we thought it would be better to have a guy who has versatility, switch-hitter, who gives you options.Rookie reliever Josh Smoker also was passed over, in favor of fellow left-hander Josh Edgin. New England Patriots Store . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. New England Patriots Shirts . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Patriots Jerseys China .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Cheap Patriots Jerseys . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. NYON, Switzerland -- The Champions League final could be contested outside Europe for the first time, new UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday.In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Ceferin said he will revive an open bidding process for the right to host the climax to the European club season and is open to the game being staged in New York.Iit might be an idea in future but we have to speak about it, Ceferin said, highlighting how travel times across Europe can be as long as flights to the United States. To go from Portugal to Azerbaijan for example is almost the same or the same as if you go to New York. For the fans its no problem but we should see. Its a European competition so lets think about it.UEFA could gauge the appetite for taking its major finals beyond Europe by first experimenting with the less-regarded Super Cup, which is played in August between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League.UEFA has until now been awarding the honor of staging its showpiece finals without any tendering process, with stadium hosts decided in secret by the leadership.The bidding process should be very clear because if you get the Champions League finals or Europa League finals as a political favor then its not OK, Ceferin said. With a clear bidding procedure I will protect also the administration and myself because whoever tries to call us, to push us, to ask us for such a favor we will have a clear answer, `Sorry, there are clear rules we cannot do it.In his first major interview since succeeding Michel Platini as UEFA president last month, Ceferin displayed a willingness to innovate while not damaging the organizations lucrative competitions.The Champions League is the best sporting product in the world, Ceferin said at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on the banks of Lake Geneva.And the former Slovenia federation president will not sacrifice the success of the competition by shifting kickoff times to pander to expanding soccer markets in Asia just to sweep up more television viewers or sponsors in the region. Games are always played in the evening in Europe, when much of Asia is asleep.From a financial point of view its not ideal, Ceferin said. We should think also about other markets, but how to do it exactly Im not sure yet. China is financially interesting and the U.S. is not just financially interesting, but football is growing there.Only the final is played on a Saturday, but one option would be to also move the semifinals from their current midweek slot.There are some ideas about that because then China is not asleep because its Saturday and theyy can watch, said Ceferin, whose presidential term runs until 2019.ddddddddddddBut there are many problems concerning that with the calendar of the leagues. National leagues are too important.You have the Premier League which is very strong. Its an idea (semifinals at the weekend) that came out but its too early to say anything concrete on it.While mulling modifications to the Champions League, Ceferin is also involved in talks on whether to expand the World Cup. In his first FIFA Council meeting last week since becoming one of the governing bodys vice presidents, Ceferin heard President Gianni Infantino propose boosting the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams.We didnt want to vote on it as it was too early, Ceferin said. We simply didnt get any information about it. Nothing. Just shall we expand or not. We said we cannot say.Ceferin is awaiting proper analysis on the merits of such a significant overhaul of the tournament. He is already certain Europe should gain a fair share of the additional 16 places rather than expansion being used to correct disparities between how the slots are currently split between the six confederations.Thirteen teams qualify for the World Cup from the 55-nation UEFA region and Ceferin believes that fans in North America and Asia prefer to watch our teams.If you put it to a vote (on the number of additional UEFA places) we might lose but we are the strongest confederation, nobody should forget that -- strongest in quality and all other aspects, Ceferin said. We have the best national teams. So I doubt they will outvote us.Ceferin said UEFA doesnt want to hurt the other confederations but sees additional European teams as adding to the quality of the World Cup.I know everyone is afraid of playing Europe in the playoffs, he said. I can understand them but if you are afraid of playing someone that team is probably better so that team deserves to go (to the World Cup).UEFA has already ceded ground on the 2026 World Cup, with Ceferin approving FIFA blocking Europe from bidding given the 2018 tournament is in Russia. North America is now the favorite to host the event for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.It would really be hard for me to say it would be good if it goes to North America or Africa, Ceferin said. But given the infrastructure possibilities, probably Africa will have a hard time to place a serious bid.---Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and www.facebook.com/RobHarrisReports ' ' '