: judges are very reluctant to overturn arbitrators unless th

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Samuel Dalembert had more offensive rebounds than Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith combined. That was probably the most telling stat from Saturdays game, which Dalemberts Dallas Mavericks won 113-102 over a Detroit team hurt throughout the night by Drummonds foul trouble. Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Vince Carter added 18 for Dallas. "If youre able to get them in foul trouble early, they kind of slow things down a little bit and become less aggressive," Dalembert said. "We knew what we were getting into, and we were ready for the fight." Dallas had surprising success on the boards against Detroits imposing front line. The Mavericks finished with 16 offensive rebounds. The Pistons, who came in as the NBAs top team in that department, had only nine. Drummond finished with only eight points and three rebounds in just under 20 minutes of action. "When you get in foul trouble, it changes your aggression, but it also keeps you from ever getting in the flow of the game," Detroit interim coach John Loyer said. "Andre is a guy who is normally always into the flow, but he wasnt able to do that tonight, whether because of the fouls or something else. I know hell be in the gym tomorrow making sure it doesnt happen again." Smith kept the Pistons in the game for a while and finished with 32 points, his most since signing with Detroit last off-season. Monta Ellis had 12 points and 13 assists for the Mavericks. Dallas leads ninth-place Memphis by two games in the Western Conference playoff race. The Pistons, meanwhile, fell 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the East. Dallas led by 13 in the third quarter, and after the Pistons closed within four in the fourth, Nowitzki connected from beyond the arc to give the Mavericks a 96-89 lead. Dallas was able to keep Detroit at arms length after that. "We did a pretty good job of not letting them get too much momentum," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "When you let them get momentum and get in transition they convert quick, they can hit 3s, they throw lobs, and then it turns into a circus." The Pistons did have 24 fast-break points, but they went 2 of 11 from 3-point range. Detroits Brandon Jennings had only two points and three assists on 1-of-7 shooting, and for a second straight night, the Pistons went mostly with Will Bynum at point guard with the game on the line. Bynum had 17 points and eight assists. "We played a tough team tonight, and they beat us," Bynum said. "We had the energy in spurts tonight, but weve got to have that for 48 minutes and we arent doing that." Ellis scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks benefited from Drummonds absence throughout the game. Greg Monroe had 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons, but he had little help on the boards. Smith, for all his scoring, finished with only three rebounds, and he didnt score a point in the final period. Dallas had six players in double figures. Dalembert had 12 points and 11 rebounds -- six at the offensive end. Jose Calderon added 11 points and Shawn Marion scored 10. The Mavericks had 31 assists, one night after reaching a season-high 39 in a win at Philadelphia. Ellis had 11 assists in the first half against the Pistons, and Dallas led 64-54 at halftime. Smith -- who had 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting in the half -- kept Detroit from a bigger deficit. The Pistons were only down 39-36 when Drummond picked up his third foul with 9:03 left in the second quarter. The Mavericks slowly extended the margin after that. NOTES: Dallas improved to 17-8 against the East this season. ... Carter appeared to be hit in the midsection in the first quarter and grimaced as he came up the court. Then he took a pass and immediately spotted up for a 3-pointer that gave Dallas a 29-25 lead. Gary Zimmerman Jersey . - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night. Tom Jackson Jersey . The goals took Liverpools tally in the Premier League this season to 70, overtaking Manchester City as the top scorers, and left the fourth-place team just four points behind league leader Chelsea. http://www.officialdenverbroncospro.com/Karl-mecklenburg-broncos-jersey/ .com) - Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar and New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo were named the NHLs players of the week on Monday. Denver Broncos Jerseys . Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Von Miller Jersey . Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. "Maybe they dont fear us as before," Pique said on Monday, "because in the last two years we didnt win the Champions League.An independent arbitrator has finally ruled on Alex Rodriguezs appeal, reducing his suspension from 211 games to 162 for his involvement in Major League Baseballs Biogenesis scandal. A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate). This brings the arbitration process to a close. This case, however, is far from over. Still some track to cover. Who was the arbitrator? His name is Fredric Horowitz, hes 64 years old and specializes in labour and employment arbitration. After MLB fired arbitrator Shyam Das when he overturned Ryan Brauns suspension, Horowitz was hired to replace him and handle these types of grievances. Hes been a full time arbitrator since 1988. Who won the appeal? This is a win for MLB. A big win. While the suspension was reduced by 49 games, this should not be seen as a failure for baseball. A substantial part of the suspension was preserved (about 75per cent). So while we saw a reduction, MLB ultimately got its wish: A-Rod is gone for all of next season. As well, based on past arbitration cases and MLBs Drug Policy, it could have been worse for MLB. Historically, arbitrators dont like to see punishments or sanctions that seem to be a dramatic departure from the existing rules and policies at play. So are you saying that A-Rods suspension could have been reduced by a lot more? Yes. The collectively bargained Drug Policy provides for a 50 game suspension for a first time offender like him, and as a result his 211 game suspension may have been found to have been not only excessive and heavy-handed, but also not in keeping with the Drug Policy. The Drug Policy calls for a specific punishment for a first time offender, and that punishment was ignored in favour of a far longer suspension. If that argument got any traction, the arbitrator could have reduced the suspension by many more games. So why didnt the arbitrator reduce the suspension by more games? He was convinced that a substantial suspension was warranted. Based upon what we know about this case, MLB argued that A-Rod had engaged in an extensive and continuous pattern of PED use since at least 2010. He also has a long standing relationship with Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch that dates back to 2009. MLB also alleged that A-Rod obstructed its investigation, tampered with witnesses and generally interfered with its attempt to get to the truth. MLB has also suggested that A-Rod may have also recruited players to Biogenesis. Ultimately, his pervasivve and wide ranging pattern of wrongdoings was not only contrary to the Drug Policy, but also the MLBs Basic Agreement, which allows baseball to discipline a player for conduct detrimental to the game.dddddddddddd So given these various factors, A-Rods suspension was reasonable in the eyes of the arbitrator. So all of these elements conspired to result in only a modest reduction in the suspension. Was this ruling predictable? Yes. A reduction was in order but nothing earth shattering. So whats next for A-Rod? Hes says hes going to challenge the decision in Court. A-Rod filed his lawsuit against the league (and also personally against Commissioner Bud Selig) months ago in anticipation of being in a position to challenge the whole Biogenesis investigation and suspension. The first thing he does is ask a judge to put the suspension aside until such time that the case is decided in a court of law (which could take years thereby allowing A-Rod to play out his contract). A-Rod is unlikely to be successful with this request since this type of relief is only awarded in very special circumstances; and this isnt one such case on its face. Horowitz is a seasoned and respected arbitrator, and a court will defer to him. Right now, MLB is trying to have the case kicked out of Court, while A-Rod wants it moved to state court. It would be a surprise to see a judge kick the case out of court completely; still A-Rod faces challenges. Enough Jibber Jabber. Can A-Rod win in Court? Probably not. Heres your bottom line: judges are very reluctant to overturn arbitrators unless their decisions are off the wall. The reasoning is this: arbitrators are specialists on the issues they rule on and judges are not in a better position to decide these cases. Also, judges want people to respect arbitration and take it seriously. If they didnt, the lines at the court house would be a lot longer. Apart from being a partner at a law firm, Im also an arbitrator. When Im making my rulings, I know that unless Im totally out in left field, my decision will stand if challenged in court. So A-Rod has a real uphill battle ahead of him. The likelihood of success seems low. However, A-Rod may still pursue it and this could go on for years. Anything else I should know about? One small thing: Federal law enforcement officials are investigating Biogenesis raising the possibility of criminal charges. If that happens, expect the feds to have A-Rod testify under oath. At that point, he would be advised that he needs to tell the truth, failing which he could face perjury charges. This is quite the mess. Yep. ' ' '