Under fire ARL Commission boss John Grant admits he is surprised he does not have the personal endorsement of his friend and NSWRL chairman George Peponis after calls for his departure over a funding backflip.Then again, Grant reckons the events of the past week have left him scratching his head.Disgruntled NRL clubs have called an emergency general meeting on December 20 in a bid to oust Grant after the ARLC reneged on a 12-month-old funding agreement last Wednesday.Clubs require a minimum 14 votes from the games 26 shareholders - the 16 clubs, QRL, NSWRL and eight commissioners - to remove Grant.Grant said Peponis NSWRL had put a stake in the ground by reportedly joining 14 clubs - excluding the NRL-owned Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights - and calling for his head.Much to Grants curiosity.Thats surprising. I think the state leagues are about the grass roots, and this discussion is about how we make sure we get the appropriate money to grass roots, Grant said of Peponis stance.Its disappointing NSWRL doesnt seem to think that is the agenda.Bulldogs great Peponis has already been linked to the ARLC chairman role.But Grant still kept the door open for Peponis to help resolve the funding issue without any blood letting.George and I have a good, direct relationship. Its been built over the last two and half years, Grant said.And George is a sensible man. But he has put a stake in the ground.We are saying to him you have got to come and talk.Its not just Peponis who has raised the ARLC bosss eyebrows.Grant admitted he was surprised at how quickly he had fallen out of favour with clubs after the governing body reneged on an agreement to fund clubs 130 per cent of their salary cap from 2018 at a meeting last Wednesday.He has since extended an olive branch, saying the ARLC were open for funding talks with clubs on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday.I must admit I sit there and think I dont quite understand this, he said.There are forces at work somewhere that are causing this shift in view on me.My relationships across this game on Tuesday were pretty sound - it is disappointing to see the herd shifting in opinion.Asked how he would gain the votes required to retain his spot, Grant said: Talking, encouraging the clubs to come back around the table and have a sensible conversation.We disappointed the clubs, clearly, and they have let us know in uncertain terms that we did but we have got to move on.This is hugely disruptive and I know we have contributed to that.But we need to forget about it and sort this out. 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Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. When healthy, Clayton Kershaw was the best pitcher in the National League this season. Max Scherzer very well could take home the leagues Cy Young honors this season. Who has the edge in their NLDS Game 1 showdown?Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Game 1, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen?Kershaw is on the mound:?Very few runs are scored! In 21 starts, he allowed 31 runs. He walked just 11 batters, and one of those was intentional. He struck out 172 batters in 149 innings and batters hit just .184 against him. He missed two-plus months with a herniated disk in his back and some believe he was so good outside of that missed time that he deserves Cy Young consideration. He pitched well after his return, allowing just two earned runs his final four starts.Kershaw continues to evolve a bit as a pitcher. He now throws his slider more than ever, 33 percent of the time, as his fastball rate has dropped from 62 percent in his first Cy Young season in 2012 to 50.6 percent. What makes that pitch so tough is that unlike a lot of sliders, its actually in the zone much of the time, making it a pitch he can throw in any count, not just as a two-strike sit-em-down offering. Batters hit .138/.152/.191 against it.If theres hope for the Nationals, its that Kershaw wasnt as dominant away from Dodger Stadium. He had a 2.31 ERA on the road, where he also allowed seven of his eight home runs. He completely shut down left-handed batters (.138, no home runs in 138 at-bats), so dont expect Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy to do much damage. After losing four straight postseason starts, Kershaw had two good starts against the Mets last year, although -- lets admit it -- he has yet to have that Bumgarner-type outing in 10 career playoff starts. Note also that he hasnt gone more than 91 pitches since his return (and exceeded 110 just three times all season). -- David SchoenfieldWhen?Scherzer is on the mound: Scherzer ended up leading the NL in wins, innings, starts, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio (Kershaw didnt pitch enough innings to qualify) and home runs allowed, with 31, although his rate dropped significantly in the second half. Scherzers pure stuff is absolutely electric -- as we saw in that record-tying 20-strikeout game -- playing off a four-seam fastball which averaged 94.3 mph. Because he gets good armside run with the pitch, it generates more swing-and-misses than most four-seamers. Only Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello had a higher swing-and-miss rate with the fastball.Scherzer also throws a curveball and changeup, but its the slider that makes him unhittable at times. Only Jose Fernandez generated a higher miss rate with his slider among qualified starters -- bothh were over 49 percent.dddddddddddd. Batters hit just .146 against it.Scherzer did have a big platoon split which may play into the lefty-heavy Dodgers lineup. Lefties hit .242/.315/.445 against him compared to .156/.189/.288 against righties. His changeup isnt the same wipeout pitch against lefties as the slider is against righties. It will be interesting to see if he changes his pattern a bit and throws more sliders and fewer changeups. Scherzer can also get into trouble when hes behind in the count and simply tries to throw his fastball past hitters. Because he pitches up in the zone with his four-seamer, hes a fly ball pitcher with the fastball, explaining some of his home run issues. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightDaniel?Murphy: He hit seven home runs in last years postseason for the Mets (all in the NLDS and NLCS), led the NL in slugging percentage and OPS (beating out Joey Votto when extending to four decimal points) but batted just once in the final 11 games as he battled a strained buttocks. The Nationals say hes ready to go. -- SchoenfieldWhat will decide tonights gameLook for Kershaws best pitch to help him dominate a team thats particularly susceptible to it. Kershaw held batters to a .192 average on his curveball this season, which ranked third among pitchers with 300 or more curves thrown, and he held batters to just a 2 percent hard-hit rate, baseballs best mark. Nationals hitters posted a .565 OPS versus curveballs this season, which ranked 22nd in MLB.?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?Scherzer is a big-game pitcher. Dont believe me? Just ask the Tigers, who fanned 20 times earlier this season against their former teammate in a game he was totally jacked up for. As for Kershaw, hes not a big-game pitcher. Just ask pretty much anyone who has ever faced him in the postseason. Nats gets a curly W in the opener. -- Eddie MatzIt will be Clayton Kershaw with a fresh arm and loads of motivation going for the Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday. But the Dodgers made their chops this season on the back of a surprise bullpen and a rejuvenated offense, and that is what ultimately will win them the opener late, in what figures to be a classic pitchers duel between Kershaw and Scherzer. -- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsThe Nationals were favored to beat the Giants two years ago in the division series, but dropped the first two games at home and lost in four. With some of their injury issues, it seems more people are picking the Dodgers. Their best bet it to have Scherzer outpitch Kershaw, not just in the opener, but perhaps later in the series if they match up again. ?--?Schoenfield Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '