Anyone who becomes general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs should be forced to take the following pledge before their first day on the job. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar College Jersey . With their right hand raised, they must repeat: I promise not to trade away young players and draft picks for players whose best years are behind them, I promise not to trade away young players and draft picks for players whose best years are behind them. I do solemnly swear I will not trade away young players and draft picks for players whose best years are behind them. Dave Nonis, of course, took no such pledge when he took the job almost three years ago. But heres hoping he made at least a private vow to himself not to repeat the mistakes of those who came before him. Weve all seen the pattern. A Maple Leaf general manager starts out on a blueprint to build the team through patience and smarts, developing from within and keeping a core of young players that can mature and come of age together. But it never turns out that way because somewhere along the way he hits the fast-forward button and the plan goes out the window. The panic sets in when the draft picks that were supposed to fuel the Leafs improvement dont pan-out, forcing him to mortgage the future just to keep the teams head above water. Which is why news that the Leafs have interest in the potential availability of Carolina centre Eric Staal is so worrisome because it would take the Leafs down a similar path as that where their previous plans have gone astray. Only theres no reason it should. Early in their third season under Dave Nonis, the Leafs remain a work in progress just in terms of reaching the post-season. Theyve got a fair amount of talent but dont play the game in a way thats conducive to consistently winning. They arent talent poor. Theyre young, frustrating at times, and still a long way from reaching their collective potential. But this is a team, unlike some past Leaf teams, which has at least chance to mature into something decent. In Gardiner, Rielly, Kadri, van Riemsdyk and Kessel the Leafs have four players all age 27 or younger who either are, or have the potential to become front line NHLers. They have a goaltender in Jonathan Bernier who looks a lot like a rising star and a rookie in Stuart Percy who is fitting in well so far during just his second season as a pro. And last seasons top pick, William Nylander, appears to possess the skills that could make him able to play as a rookie 19-year-old next season. So theres lots of young trees in the forest, so to speak. To sell off a combination of those assets and or draft picks for a player in Eric Staal who turns 30 this month is asking for a repeat of history. Staal has already played a ton of hockey in his career – 771 games, suffered some significant injuries and his best season in terms of goals and points is now eight years ago. Would he immediately become the Leafs best player? Probably. But for how long? Theres absolutely no way to know that but there are so many great hockey players whose abilities decline significantly past their early 30s. Which means that if the Leafs were to acquire Staal, hes likely to become a fading star on an expensive ticket by the time the core of their team matures. Acquiring Staal would make sense if the Leafs were in the midst of a Stanley Cup window with maybe two years remaining in it. But theyre nowhere near being able to compete for the Cup. They need a lot of things before that happens. But nothing more than patience. Bill Walton College Jersey . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. Authentic UCLA Jerseys .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament. http://www.cheapuclajerseys.com/ . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life.BRIDGEND -- Bernhard Langer has a seven-stroke cushion to take into the third round of the Senior British Open after shooting a 5-under 66 Friday to add to his opening 65. The German is on 11-under 131 overall at a sunny Royal Porthcawl with Scotlands Colin Montgomerie and South African-based Englishman Chris Williams tied for second on 4-under 138. Montgomerie shot 66 while Williams added a 70 to his opening 68. Spaniard Pedro Linhart (69) was a further shot back in fourth, while Americans Bob Tway (73) and Tom Watson (66) shared fifth on 2-under 140. Watson had a faultless round of 66 with three birdies, an eagle at the 18th and no dropped shots. Langer was beaten in a playoff by Mark Wiebe of the United States in last years championship at Royal Birkdale after blowing a two-stroke lead on the final hole when he failed to get out of a greenside bunker. "It still hurts when I think about it," Langer said. "If you put me in that situation a hundred times, I think I would win 98 or 99." Langer started with a bogey five at the opening hole when he pulled a 4-iron into a bad lie, hit his second over the green and didnt get up and down. He recovered with three straight birdies from the fourth, hitting a sand-wedge to six feet, a 3-iron to seven feet and chipped his third to three feet on the par-five sixth and sank it. Twwo more birdies came at Nos. UCLA Jerseys From China. 11 and 12, he saved his par at the 14th with a 15-foot putt, then hit a drive and a 5-iron to 10 feet at the 18th and just missed his eagle attempt. "I played very aggressive and smart today," said Langer, who was champion at Carnoustie in 2010. "I missed a couple of opportunities early on but Im very pleased overall. Playing good golf on a great course is a lot of fun. But you have to be very careful, very smart and hopefully execute properly." Montgomerie hit back from dropping strokes at the first two holes to post six birdies in the next seven, including five on the run from the fifth, for 31 on the first nine holes. He then got two more on the way and just one dropped shot. Despite the impressive round, he wasnt hopeful. "Ive got a massive mountain to climb to catch Bernhard," admitted Montgomerie. Tway, only two behind Langer overnight, got to 5 under with a birdie at the sixth, but then slipped to level par before closing with two birdies. Fred Couples had to settle for a par 71, while Tom Pernice Jr. came back from an opening 78 to bag eight birdies and drop just one shot for 64 and the best round of the tournament so far. Wiebe, playing with Langer, made an early exit after shooting 77 for an 11-over 153 -- some 22 strokes worse than the man he beat last year. 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