tinues to reiterate that the goal for Cruz should be the Sept. 11 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. But the Giants are anxious for Cruz to get on the field, hopefully as soon as this weekend against the Jets.Its important. Its the game, c

HAMILTON, Ont. -- Hamilton Tiger-Cats punter Josh Bartel wasnt sure what to expect in his first CFL season. He was new to the country and new to the Canadian game. It didnt take him long to catch on. Bartel recorded a 42.8-yard average with the Ticats last year and was named to the CFL East Division all-star team. Not bad for a rookie punter who developed his kicking prowess by playing footy -- or Australian rules football -- in his native land Down Under. "At the start of last year I was very nervous the first four to five games," Bartel said in a recent interview. "I was very nervous that I (might get) cut. So this year Im going to go in with a lot more confidence and (will) be a lot more aggressive as well." Bartel reached the semi-pro level in Australia and got his Canadian football break thanks to a former coach who had a contact with the Ticats. Bartel spent over a year working on his punting style and the team gave him a look at training camp last year. He made the squad and was impressive in game action. Bartel played in all 18 regular-season games and finished third in the CFL in punting. The six-foot-three, 200-pounder has the power to generate distance and hang time but hes also quite accurate. When punting from midfield, hell often use an end-over-end style Australian rules drop kick to pin the opposing team deep in its own end. "Weve grown up since we were kids kicking that," Bartel said. "Its almost like walking for the Australian rules boys. Its good fun, its easy to control, the risk for me is minimal. Id like to use it a lot more." Head coach Kent Austin likes Bartels consistency. "Hes an excellent punter," he said. "Hes very, very sound fundamentally and he has great height on his punts. Hes a two-step punter so its very, very difficult to block his punts. He also has the ability to directional punt extremely well. "So hes kind of the full package." Bartel, an amiable 27-year-old, has more of a feel for the Canadian game now that he has a full season under his belt. Hes certainly more comfortable on the gridiron than this time last year. "I remember my first week in training camp, the first training camp Id ever been to. Probably didnt speak a word for the first week, I dont think," he said. "I was that nervous. I wouldnt say overwhelmed but just nervous pretty much. It was something different. My first exhibition game at Ivor Wynne (Stadium), my first four kicks I cant even remember them. "I just caught it and tried to kick it as fast as I could before I got hit. I was very nervous that game. Im just glad I got through it." Steeltown is quite different from his hometown in Australia. Bartel previously lived on his familys dairy farm in a small town about a four-hour drive from Melbourne. "I like the country life, Im a country boy at heart," he said. "Its always good to get home in the off-season and catch up with family." Playing pro football in the CFL was not the career path he expected to take. "Five or 10 years ago I didnt have a clue what I was going to do," he said. "Im pretty glad I chose this path because its the best job Ive ever had. You get paid nicely to travel around Canada and play this pretty cool sport. I love it actually." And if he werent playing football? "I dont have a clue, I dont actually want to think about that actually," Bartel said with a laugh. "I was selling tires in town. ... I dont really want to go back there so hopefully this goes well." Ua Hovr Online .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Under Armour Cheap Online . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. http://www.outletunderarmourstore.com/fake-curry-4-online.html . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Under Armour Fat Tire Shoes For Sale . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Under Armour Shoes Clearance . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz returned Tuesday from a groin injury with his heaviest workload and most productive practice of the summer. For the first time in weeks, there was reason for optimism.The groin injury Cruz had been dealing with didnt appear to limit him Tuesday, when he took 18 snaps during live drills and caught a team-high seven passes.The plan is for Cruz to be back out at practice Wednesday and to play in Saturdays preseason game against the New York Jets. It would be his first game in 22 months.Cruzs teammates were impressed.He came out, looked fresh [Tuesday], wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said. Again, the biggest thing is just Sept. 11. I know he would definitely like to get some preseason in. Its been a little minute since hes played.In my opinion, he looked great.Cruz hadnt made it through a full practice in more than two weeks because of the groin injury. He did dress for Saturdays preseason contest against the Buffalo Bills and ran through pregame warmups.There were more positive signs at Tuesdays practice, when Cruz mostly worked alongside Beckham and Sterling Shepard as the first-team receivers. He caught all his passes from quarterback Eli Manning.There was one play in particular where he shot off the line and made a quick juke to the inside to beat cornerback Donte Deayon. It opened some eyes.Hes quick, said Deayon, an undrafted rookie out of Boise State. I didnt think hed be that quick off the line right now. But he came off the line real quick and he got me. ... Hee shook and he shot across the field.ddddddddddddHe has his step back, hes quick and hes a veteran, so he knows his game.Cruz, 29, has missed most of the past two seasons with knee and calf injuries. He tore the patellar tendon in his right knee on Oct. 12, 2014, against the Philadelphia Eagles.Beckham continues to reiterate that the goal for Cruz should be the Sept. 11 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. But the Giants are anxious for Cruz to get on the field, hopefully as soon as this weekend against the Jets.Its important. Its the game, coach Ben McAdoo said. That is what he is looking forward to. That is what we are looking forward to seeing him do.McAdoo said last week the Giants still havent been able to make an evaluation on him this summer. Hes hoping this week provides some information.Well find out more [Tuesday] and [Wednesday], McAdoo said before Tuesdays practice. But Im looking forward to seeing him. It was nice to see him in a uniform in pregame the other day.After coming through unscathed Tuesday, the next step is to string together back-to-back practices. Cruzs legs need to prove they can handle the pounding of football work. Then its onto getting through the week and playing in the game. But for one day at least, the Giants were happy with where this situation is headed after years of health struggles.Its great to see Vic back out there, Beckham said. Hes been through quite a lot. ' ' '