NEW YORK -- Mistie Bass, Kelsey Bone and their Mercury teammates met with Phoenix police a few weeks ago after practice.It was an eye-opening experience and an encouraging one for the disheartened Bass.That was such a great opportunity for us to ask some great questions. I dont think the system that is in place in Phoenix is the system in place everywhere, Bass said after practice Friday as Phoenix prepared for the second round of the WNBA playoffs. To see a model that is so crystal clear and to talk about their training and how much training they get.Bass said she learned the Phoenix police go through simulated processes for shoot or no-shoot situations. She was impressed officers have to pass those tests or return to training.Bass and Bone applaud the Phoenix police, but they also see police shootings of black men as a national problem. Bone first started kneeling during the national anthem a few weeks ago following what San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did at a preseason game.Bass, a Duke graduate whose father is singer Chubby Checker, joined Bone on Wednesday, kneeling before the Mercurys playoff game against Indiana. The entire Fever team also knelt and locked arms that game. The pair said they will do it again Saturday night before Phoenixs game against the New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden. Bass expects many of the Liberty players to join.For me personally, my heart is too heavy to be able to stand, Bass said. The systematic reasoning of the flag in general is freedom, justice and liberty and thats not for everybody it seems.Fever player Marissa Coleman shared via Facebook on Thursday a lengthy post explaining her decision to protest during the anthem. She explained she has family who served in the military and her father is a retired police officer.Coleman wrote The bigger disrespect to this country and those who fight for it is staying silent on these issues that plague African-Americans and people of color.Bone had her own reason for kneeling.As someone who grew up in the South, my dads side of the family is from Birmingham, Alabama, and my grandparents on my moms side are from Louisiana, Bone said. Ive seen racism my whole life. Me kneeling isnt to call an end to racism. To me, we live in a country thats built on some form of racism. Youre not going to get rid of it.Bones dad is 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds. Her uncles are just as large.They are big black dudes, she said. Id be doing a disservice to my family and my heritage if I didnt use my platform and my voice. For the past three years of my life, I live in Turkey. Every year theres been bombing, terror and issues. The first thing I wanted to do is run home. But what is home? Am I any safer at home than a country that is terror-stricken?All three players know there is a lot of work to be done, but this is a starting place.By people seeing our protests it opens up conversations, Bass said. Conversations are always a good thing as it gets people talking and hopefully that will lead to change.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg Orlando Brown Jr. Stitched Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. DeShon Elliott Stitched Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.officialravensnflauthenticshop.com/ . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Anthony Averett Stitched Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Pink Ravens Jerseys . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Jerry Rice was on the roster the last time the Oakland Raiders made the playoffs.Thats how long its been -- way back in the 2002 season.The Silver and Black matter again, thanks in large part to up-and-coming QB Derek Carr, pass-rusher extraordinaire Khalil Mack and kicker Sebastian Janikowski. The Raiders clinched a postseason berth Sunday by beating the San Diego Chargers 19-16 on Janikowskis fourth field goal of the game, a 44-yarder with a little more than 2+ minutes remaining.One thing we know for sure: We are on our way, coach Jack Del Rio told his players in the locker room after they improved to 11-3, alone in first place in the AFC West. We just punched our ticket to the playoffs!A backdrop to this seasons success has been all the talk about how much longer the team will stay in Oakland. Owner Mark Davis -- whose father, Al, was famous for proclaiming, Just win, baby -- says he plans to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, where a nearly $2 billion stadium project has been approved.There is a Feb. 15 deadline for Davis to apply for the right to uproot his club. The window to petition for that begins whenever the Raiders season ends -- and for the first time in a while, no one knows exactly when that will be.Janikowski is the only player from the teams previous playoff run who is still on the roster. Since reaching the Super Bowl 14 years ago, the Raiders have gone through some dark times.As Carr noted on Twitter: We have come a long way from an 0-10 start a couple years ago!Sure have.The frequent failures of teams like the Raiders really make what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have done all that more remarkable: They set an NFL record with an eighth consecutive division title after a 16-3 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. New England also is the only team to win 13 division championships in a 14-year span.You see guys that have played in this league a while, been really good players, and just havent won division championships and things like that, Patriots safety Devin McCourty said, and to see their excitement, to see how excited they are. ... Its a great feeling.In case you missedd it, here are the other top topics after the NFL seasons 15th Sunday:GIVE WHAT YOU CANThe Salvation Army got millions of dollars worth of free publicity thanks to Dallas Cowboys rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott, who hopped inside an oversized red collection kettle behind the end zone after a 2-yard TD run during a 26-20 win against Tampa Bay on national TV at night.ddddddddddddad to show them a little bit of love, the running back said.Alas, the Cowboys were penalized for his display, angering coach Jason Garrett, and Elliott could get fined by the league. That prompted NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth to joke: There should be a charitable exemption in the rulebook.BRADLEY FIREDNot much of a surprise here: Gus Bradley was fired as coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars after their 21-20 loss at the Houston Texas, their ninth consecutive loss. Theyve been bad much longer than that, though: The Jags 2-12 record this season brings Bradleys tally to 14-48, a .225 winning percentage thats the worst of anyone who has coached at least 60 NFL games. So with Bradley joining former Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher on the unemployment line, the question becomes: Who else will be out of a job by seasons end?NONSENSICAL 2-POINT TRIESCoaches just cant seem to figure out when it makes sense to try a 2-point conversion and when it doesnt. Mike Mularkey of the Titans and Doug Pederson of the Eagles both made highly debatable choices to eschew a PAT after a late TD -- and both of their teams blew it. For Mularkey, though, it miraculously didnt cost the Titans a vital win in their playoff bid, because they still edged the Chiefs 19-17 thanks to Kansas City coach Andy Reids own gaffes. For Pederson, it didnt really matter, because the Eagles were going nowhere even before their 27-26 loss to the Ravens was sealed when Carson Wentzs pass fell incomplete on a 2-point try.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter: http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Cheap Jerseys 2019 NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap NFL Hoodies Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '