GREEN BAY, Wis. - A brisk wind blew through the open doors of the Hutson Center, turning the Green Bay Packers indoor practice facility into an ice box.Bundled up in a heavy parka, the conditions felt just right to coach Mike McCarthy.In the cold, the Packers are in their element. It might be one edge that Green Bay could have ahead of Sundays playoff game against the warm-weather Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field.Ball security is at a premium in the playoffs. Receivers — and the defensive backs trying to snare interceptions — must be prepared for the sting that comes with trying to catch a cold ball.I think whoever handles the ball best in the cold is going to come up on top. I think we definitely have the advantage, Packers cornerback and special teams ace Jarrett Bush said.At the same time, it is football, and youve got to line up and prove it between the white lines.The forecast Sunday calls for partly cloudy skies with highs in the low 20s. Thats downright balmy compared to the arctic front that encased Green Bay at midweek, when temperatures hovered near zero.To top it off, a snowstorm that was supposed to dump 3 to 4 inches of snow on the area started just before practice began Thursday, forcing McCarthy to move the team indoors for the whole session.It warmed up, but only slightly, which was fine by McCarthy. The Packers were even able to get the temperature inside the facility to about 22 degrees, which would be roughly the high temperature for Sunday.I feel like we got done what we needed to get done these two days, McCarthy said. We were able to get the wind direction changed, so we felt like it was pretty close to what the conditions will be that were playing in on Sunday.Though not nearly as cold as when the teams last met in Green Bay in the post-season — the 1967 NFL championship dubbed the Ice Bowl after being played in brutally cold conditions.It was minus 13 for that game at kickoff. Its not supposed to be that chilly this weekend, though its not exactly weather familiar to some Cowboys, either.According to STATS, the Cowboys are 11-13 since 1991 in games played in with the temperature lower than 40 degrees. Their most recent game in that category: Dec. 4, when Dallas beat Chicago 41-28 at Soldier Field.It comes down to what is your resistance to the cold, how much can you tolerate it, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr said. This game, this time of the season, get comfortable. ... Just be comfortable to be at your best.For defensive end Jeremy Mincey, that means sticking with his usual routine of wearing sleeves.Packers guard T.J. Lang said hes going with extra-long elbow sleeves, while receiver Davante Adams is going with bare arms.No sleeves. Never sleeves, the Packers rookie said. Yeah, we dont wear sleeves in the wideout room.But there is more to preparation than making fashion choices.Carr said its important to be fast and light. He wants to stay warm without wearing too many layers. Hell check the condition of the heated field before the game for footing.Bring multiple pairs of clears out, detachables, nubs, long studs, short studs, whatever, Carr said. Just check the field and the footing and see if its soft or it can hold up to up to the studs.Dallas, 8-0 on the road this season, clearly plays well away from home no matter the conditions. McCarthy downplayed any talk of having a cold-weather advantage.I think footballs football. Im not counting the weather, he said.One Cowboy familiar with Midwest winters is quarterback Tony Romo, who grew up in Burlington, in southeastern Wisconsin, and played college ball at Eastern Illinois.Romo is 3-5 as a starter in games played when the temperature dipped below 40. Dont forget that the Cowboys also play in cold weather late in the season if they have road games against NFC East rivals New York, Philadelphia and Washington.It can affect you if you havent played in it before and if youre not prepared, Romo said. For us, well just put our head down and go to work, like we always do.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this report.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFLJesse Barfield Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Paul Molitor Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills will head into the regular season short on experience at quarterback after trimming the roster on Friday. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-...y-jersey/.Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for Chicago, which finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters. Marcus Stroman Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Roger Clemens Jersey .ca. Mr. Fraser, It looks like Martin Brodeur is coming back to play for the Blues. I was wondering if you have any great stories or fond memories of your time on the ice with Brodeur - in the NHL, or maybe even the Olympics.The NHL has suspended Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for 15 games for his attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to hospital. "This cannot be described as a hockey play that went bad, nor do we consider this a spontaneous reaction to an incident that just occurred," NHL director of player safety Brendan Shanahan said. The NHL described it as an "act of retribution." After he was suspended, his people, which include the NHLPA and his lawyer/agent, issued the following statement: "I am aware of todays ruling by the NHL department of player safety. I will be consulting with the Bruins, my representation and the NHLPA about next steps, and will be in a position to address the matter publicly after speaking with those parties." Translation: Thornton and the NHLPA are assessing the merits of an appeal and whether he stands a reasonable chance of getting his suspension reduced. Bruins president Cam Neely believes that the suspension is too long. "Higher than I expected and higher than I think is warranted…Weve had our fair share of players hurt badly by concussions. I dont think anyones gotten a 15-game suspension out of those. Thornton is a guy who plays the role he plays and has never had any suspensions or issues. It comes down a little harsh for me" Neely declared. Timeline Thornton has 48 hours to appeal his suspension as per the collective bargaining agreement. That takes us to Monday. That appeal goes to the Commissioner Gary Bettman. Since the suspension is over five games, Bettman will need to conduct an in-person hearing. Assuming Bettman upholds Thorntons suspension, which is a near certainty, Thornton will have seven days to appeal the decision to an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator will also have to hold an in-person hearing. If Thornton does appeal, the NHLPA will argue that the length of the suspension is not in keeping with the leagues practice for similar incidents. Effectively, it will be argued that the punishment is disproportionately long. Could Thornton Win An Appeal? Should the case be appealed to an arbitrator, Thornton will have a difficult time getting the suspension reduced. Ultimately, the appeal is unlikely to meet with success. Why? The league should be able to demonstrate that the length of the suspension is aligned with its past practice when it comes to incidents where one player intentionally targets and assaults another player in a manner that cannot be considered contact that is incidental to the game. Heres just a sample of suspensions dating back to 1978 that the NHL could rely on to show that the Thornton suspension makes sense: Chris Simon (2007): 30 games for stomping on the leg of Jarko RuutuJesse Boulerice (2007): 25 games for a cross-check to the face of Ryan KeslerRaffi Torres (2012): 25 games for his hit on Marian HossaMarty McSorrley (2000): 23 games for swinging his stick at Donald Brashears headDale Hunter (1993): 21 games for his hit on Pierre TurgeonBrad May (2000): 20 games for a slash to the head of Steve HeinzeSteve Downie (2007): 20 games for launching himself at the head of Dean McAmmondTodd Bertuzzi (2004): 20 games for his assault on Steve MooreDave Brown (1987): 15 games for his cross-check to Tomas Sandstroms faceTony Granato (1994): 15 games for slashing Pittsburghs Neil WilkinsonWilf Paiement (1978): 15 games for swinging his stick and hitting Dennis Polonich in the face There are certainly arguments that could be relied on to distinguish certain of these incidents from the Thornton incident.dddddddddddd. That being said, however, all share a common element: an intent to harm together with contact that falls squarely outside the scope of what is considered acceptable contact in the game of hockey. In these cases, the length of suspensions has ranged from 15 to 30 games. The league will also be able to rely on an extensive history of lengthy suspensions. The NHL has been suspending players for long stretches for decades. Thornton suspension, the league will argue, is by no means unique. Rather, the length fits in nicely with previous cases and is wholly supported by precedent. In fact, based upon the leagues history of suspensions and the egregious nature of the incident, the NHL may well be in a position to argue that it exercised restraint in suspending Thornton. The suspension, the league may contend, could have been longer but was reduced on account of Thornton having no priors. One more thing: the league could argue that times have changed. It is now generally accepted that players can suffer irreversible brain damage as a result of blows to the head, and as a result, the league must take active and decisive steps to safeguard the brains of its players. Part of that is imposing sanctions that are designed to strongly discourage behavior that threatens the long-term health of its players. Failing to firmly discipline players in these circumstances puts all players at risk at a most sensitive time for sports. So relying, in part, on deterrence may assist the NHLs position. Merits aside, we may still see an appeal. The option to appeal a suspension to an independent arbitrator is brand new having been introduced in the latest CBA. So far, no case has been appealed to an arbitrator. The NHLPA may want to appeal the decision to start building case law and precedents for future cases. So while this case does not present a high likelihood of success for Thornton, the NHLPA may want a decision from an arbitrator to help guide it on future cases. Indeed, there is value in precedents. Ultimately, given the NHLs past practice when it comes to assault on the ice, Thorntons suspension is on the lighter side or at the very least eminently reasonable. So I dont see an appeal unless the NHLPA wants to start building precedents. The problem with that, however, is that this isnt a great case to test the independent arbitrator waters since Thornton is very likely on the losing side of the case. 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