Raised in Newcastle on the New South Wales north coast, Joe Mennie played junior cricket with and against Phillip Hughes of MacksvilleI spent a bit of time between Coffs Harbour and Newcastle so I played a bit with him and a bit against him. Playing against him wasnt fun, he always managed to rattle off a ton, then he came across to South Australia and I spent a couple of years there with him.He was a batsman before he evolved into a bowler, and still takes pride in his skill with the batWhen I was younger I was more of a batsman and probably developed a bit later than most blokes. About 18 or 19 I got a bit taller, a bit bigger and the ball started coming out a bit quicker and I thought of myself as more of a bowler as my batting skills started to fall away a bit. I do work hard on it, we all have to bat, thats the way it is, not everyone gets to bowl but we all get to bat. I want to help out as much as possible, lower-order runs are always handy whether for South Australia or Australia, it is always going to help the team.He was a member of the NSW state squad before being cut and moving to South AustraliaI was lucky I had offers from Tasmania and South Australia at that stage so it wasnt really too bad, blunted the blow a bit, I made the move to SA and happy I did, havent looked back. It was tough for me to pack up my stuff and move to a state where I didnt know anyone as well, but looking back it has helped me. They [NSW] were happy with how I am going but they saw people ahead of me. Heading to SA I wanted to put my best foot forward, so I probably did work a bit harder and did things a bit differently, I didnt have the support base or comfort zone so it was up to me. His early hero was Brett Lee before he realised he was not cut out to bowl that fastBrett Lee was always one [of the guys I looked up to], unfortunately I never hit that pace but I could always dream and as a youngster when a Test summer came around running in and watching him bowl quick was great. Recognising I am not going to bowl express pace and rattle a batsman at my pace I need to be accurate and hit an area consistently or I wouldnt get far. I generally havent been a [swing] bowler per se, it is more just hit the seam and get a bit of movement off the deck, older ball reverse swing has probably been my thing, but with the new ball hit the seam.Alongside Chadd Sayers, Daniel Worrall and Kane Richardson, Mennie has been part of a strong SA attackWe had a good season last year, we get around each other and are great mates on and off the field, that helps. Some days you have a bad day and you have the lads there who can get you back up. We talk about bowling partnerships, if the other bloke is doing well, you just want to dry it up at the other end and help him out as much as you can.He learned about the step up from first-class to international cricket on the recent ODI tour to South AfricaI always knew it was going to be tough, it was a tough induction. I take out of it that your good balls are still going to go, you can bowl what you bowl but your good balls are going to go for four or six. They are good quality batsman on good pitches, I knew it was going to be tough but not as tough as my induction was. Hydro Flask Waterfles . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Hydro Flask 32 OZ .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http://www.hydroflaskkorting.com/hydro-flask-24-oz.html . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Hydro Flask 32 OZ . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Hydro Flask Korting . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. The Atlanta Falcons travel to Los Angeles this week to take on the Rams. The game is a critical one for the Falcons (7-5) as they fight not only to win the NFC South, but to hold on to a playoff spot. The Rams (4-8) are looking to play spoiler and to hold out hope they can finish the 2016 campaign without a losing record.No team in the NFL can take another team lightly, but the Rams do not seem to have much fight left in them. In a year where the team has moved, held training camp in various locations and traveled the globe, tired legs and minds seem to have caught up with everyone. Even head coach Jeff Fisher, who was awarded a two-year contract extension, lost his challenge flag in the loss to the New England Patriots.The Rams continue to struggle on offense, ranking last in a majority of offensive categories. The Rams are last in yards gained per game at 284. The 204.8 yards a game they average through the air is 29th and the 79.2 yards the Rams average per game on the ground is 30th in the league. Running back Todd Gurley has yet to break the century mark in a game running the football in 2016. Los Angeles averages 15 points per contest which is not only last in the NFL but even behind Clevelands 16.4 points a game.We had a lot of errors across the board, really, offensively, myself and everybody really. Errors are obviously going to happen; you just want to limit them. When one thing happens, you cant get down about that, youre OK (and) move on. Things dont always go your way, but you cant let (errors) keep happening. You just have to try to limit them, said quarterback Jared Goff, speaking of the New England Patriots game but truly encapsulating the entire Rams season.Speaking of errors, Atlanta lost in Week 15 on a pair of major miscues by quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan threw two interceptions in the game. One was returned for a touchdown. The other was on a two-point conversion attempt to put the team up by three points late in the fourth quarter. Instead, safety Eric Berry of the Chiefs ran the other way with the football and secured a one-point win for Kansas City.dddddddddddd The Falcons will need to shake off the shock and disappointment quickly as they prepare for the Rams.Its hard, but were going to get right to the truth of it and put our plan together to go play at our best (against the Rams). That part of our game -- mental toughness and resiliency -- weve got a lot of tough competitors, so I expect that part to come to fruition very quickly, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said.The Falcons offense can explode at any point and will be looking to take advantage of a worn out Rams defense. The Falcons rank first in the NFL in points per game at 32.2. The offense, with wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman having outstanding years, averages 412 yards a game, which is third in the NFL.The Rams defense, statistically speaking, has been solid this season. But the team is 11th in the NFL in defensive snaps and as the offense continues to try to find footing, the defense has been forced to bail the offense out. The Rams defense, which is prone to having lapses like they did against the New Orleans Saints, hope to keep Matt Ryan and Co. from having a performance like their NFC South counterpart.In Week 12, the Saints racked up 555 total yards and seven touchdowns against the Rams defense. This is the same defense that currently ranks 15th in the NFL in points allowed (21.8) and ninth in passing yards allowed (231). The Falcons offense is very comparable to the Saints so the Rams defense will be in for a stiff challenge.If the Rams are going to do anything on offense to try and salvage the season, playing the Falcons defense could be a turning point. The Falcons defense is almost as poor as the Rams offense, in terms of statistics. Atlanta ranks 29th in the NFL in points allowed (27.6), 27th in yards per game (381.7) and last in passing yards allowed (280.8). The Rams need quarterback Jared Goff to take advantage of this porous unit to keep the game close. ' ' '