They knew it was the longest of shots. The supporters in the Stragglers Café knew it; the members in the Colin Atkinson knew it; and the players gathered in the 1875 Club knew it most of all.But since when did knowing ever stop you hoping?All the same its the hoping that leads to the hurt. After the pain of 2010 Somerset supporters knew that, too. Yet, here they were at Taunton, just wondering if this could be the one.Nothing, like something, happens anywhere, wrote Philip Larkin, and for half a day the nothing that was happening at Lords had meant everything to the players in their track suits and the supporters in their polo shirts or sweaters as they gathered together and took comfort from the fact that they were facing this thing together.And when it was all done with and Middlesex were being acclaimed as county champions, there was no bitterness from the runners-up, only congratulations to the victors and recognition of what a wonderful Championship season it had been for Chris Rogers and his side.Declarations were part and parcel of the game years ago, said Somersets director of cricket, Matt Maynard, as he reflected on the way Middlesex had won the title at Lords. Neither side were going to give us the title. They had to come to an agreement and from the outset it looked like a very fine declaration.It needed Tim Bresnan to carry on for another three or four overs to take it into that last over with 12 needed but unfortunately it didnt get to that stage. But fair credit to Middlesex, theyve gone through the season unbeaten and a number of their players have had outstanding seasons.Theyve been very consistent and I think they are deserved champions.Maynards was speaking at the end of a day which Somerset loyalists will remember for one heart-breaking reason and several heart-warming ones. It had been a day which began with a good group of supporters in the ground floor of the new pavilion, although their number swelled very rapidly over lunchtime and into the early afternoon.For a while it had seemed that nothing much was happening at Lords, nothing at any rate to indicate that discussions had taken place between the captains. But everyone could see there was not the time necessary for a normal game to take place.Then with the game in stalemate Alex Lees was brought on to bowl deliberate bad balls to set up a declaration and a few comments began, although not too many. Many of those watching were old enough to remember the days of regular three-day nonsense, and those who werent received a crash course, mdear.The loudest protests followed the declaration and the idea that six-an-over represented much of a challenge to Yorkshires batsmen. Then people remembered that this was a Yorkshire side without Jonny Bairstow and suddenly the declaration seemed less generous on a lifeless pitch.Not that they prevented them hoping, of course.By four oclock there was hardly standing room in the Stragglers and the members in the Colin Atkinson were trying to look vaguely dignified. They failed, God bless em. Some of the players couldnt watch and took a stroll on the outfield. Busy doin nothin.Very quickly, though, it became clear how difficult Yorkshire were finding their run-chase People started talking about the tie and how glorious that might be. Wickets fell, although people were unsure whether this was a good or bad thing. Stalemate was needed and that was clearly the one outcome not on the cards.Chris Rogers and some of his players watched the game on the first floor of the Somerset Pavilion. Every dot ball brought a roar of acclamation. In the press box seasoned journos acknowledged that they had seen nowt like this.Then there was that clatter of wickets, a Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick and Middlesex players rolling on the ground in glee. Supporters dribbled out of the Colin Atkinson and others joined them on the outfield. Everyone the roped-off area in front of the Andrew Caddick pavilion - the Caddyshack they call it down here - was ringed by Somerset supporters. There were a few tears and a lot of pride.Somersets chairman, Andy Nash, congratulated the new champions and confirmed that Matt Maynard would have done the same as Gale and Franklin. Maynard, himself, and Rogers spoke with dignity and pride about all that had been achieved. And, yes, all that was to come.There was great belief in the group, said Maynard, We played some good cricket without getting results and we then built momentum though winning games and gaining confidence from that.The contribution of Chris Rogers has been huge. He has been tough on the players in the middle at times and that has taken them back a little bit. You have to challenge them at times. His expectations were terrific and hes made an incredible impact.The biggest thing we can do for Chris is continue his legacy. I was in the Glamorgan team included Viv Richards in the latter part of his career, he was very passionate and we continued his legacy. It is now hugely important that we do the same.We have five youngsters who are coming through and weve also signed Steve Davies. I have a clear idea as to who Id like as captain to take over from Chris Rogers but Im not at liberty to say who that is yet.Somerset supporters may take heart from Maynards comments but they are getting tired of finishing second in the West Country. Even that most equable of men, Marcus Trescothick, who was one of those ambling on the outfield, is getting particularly tired of it.Its a pain in the arse to come second again and it feels just the same as it did last time, he said. Its been such a difficult day and different to the last time we did it because we were playing all day so it has been very strange having to sit around and watch it all on television.It feels no different than last time to end up in second place, the only difference is that Middlesex have been top of the table for a long time and they have come out and won the competition outright, so they deserve to win.I think we were all disappointed to see the game set up in that fashion. It was going along and doing exactly what we wanted it to do and had it been any normal game it would have petered out with a 4.30 or five oclock finish but those are the regulations and its not in our control to worry about that.It was just sad to see because from our point of view we wanted to see the best team win and I guess that Middlesex have at the end of the day, but the fashion in which it was done was disappointing.And with that, it was done. The players drifted away, perhaps to celebrate a season in which a late charge for victory was not quite enough. The supporters, too, with whom the players have a great bond in this county, left the ground they call a home and some may not return until next April.We also suffer who only sit and watch and wait. Matt Albers Jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Trent Grisham Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1399y-tyler-austin-jersey-brewers.html . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Rob Deer Jersey . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Fake Brewers Jerseys . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. NEW YORK -- The defending world champion is a 25-year-old Norwegian whos been named one of the worlds sexiest men.Magnus Carlsen is tops in an endurance sport that doesnt require him to move from his chair.Its called chess.Carlsen, the highest-rated player in chess history, again aims to win the World Chess Championship, the most eagerly awaited match in a generation, starting Friday in New York.Trying to wrest the title from Carlsen is the 26-year-old Ukrainian-born Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin.The prize purse of $1.1 million will be divided 60-40 between the men, who are treated like rock stars in their countries.Carlsen and Karjakin will play in a renovated building on the historic Manhattan waterfront, near Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge.The championship has returned to the United States for the first time in 21 years; the last one was in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.In the U.S., organizers face a challenge: how to popularize a sedentary sport with little visible action in a society where most fans favor dynamic sports like football, boxing, basketball and baseball.Still, chess has its fervent American fans, including Jay Z, Jude Law, Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Barack Obama.The International Olympic Committee classifies it as a sport, as do more than 100 countries. It requires not only brain acrobatics but also the physical stamina to sit as long as six hours at a time for three weeks.The board battle pits figures of medieval warriors, kings, queens, bishops and knights against each other in ever-changing plots as dramatic as the Game of Thrones.Electronic versions of the game register about 1 billion downloads a year of hundreds of apps, says Ilya Merenzon, the Moscow-based chief executive officer of Agon Ltd., which owns the marketing rights to the World Chess brand for the championships and the qualifying games leading up to it.There are an estimated 600 million players worldwide, Merenzon says.By contrast with the glitzy, high-tech championship, chess enthusiasts can be found playing in hundreds of New York outdoor public spaces, such as Central Park.dddddddddddd Some of these urban street players are homeless.Karjakin was 12 when he became the youngest grandmaster, and Carlsen was a grandmaster at 13.When I was young, I was used to winning games in a very aggressive style, and I would attack all the time and I was used to my opponents cracking, Carlsen said. But when I got to the highest level, then people defended better, so now Im more pragmatic. Whatever risks I take, I try to control the game.Carlsen has cashed in through sponsorships, his own chess app and modeling for ads. He appeared in G-Star Raws Spring/Summer fashion ad campaign along with actress and model Lily Cole.He also was selected by Cosmopolitan magazine as one of the sexiest men of 2013. Since then, hes also been the worlds No. 1 player.All 600 seats for Fridays inaugural game were sold out, starting at $75 apiece. Two games are played on consecutive days, followed by a one-day break, for a total of 12 games.Tens of millions of fans are expected to follow live online, free of charge through the worldchess.com website and affiliate partners. In addition, $15 via Pay-Per-View buys the game in virtual reality, allowing fans to experience the game as if they were there by wearing special goggles.For years, chess seemed to be played in a bubble, far from mainstream media.But it never grew out of style in Carlsens Norway, where TV programs are pre-empted for important games.This week, New York will host the first championship with two grandmasters of the smartphone generation -- a battle of two of the finest minds on the planet, Merenzon says. Our goal is to make chess a pop culture event.---This story has been corrected to show the companys name is Agon, not Agony, and the company does not control the games, just the commercial rights to the brand name. ' ' '