Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Monday.

Its been quite the week for Welsh football. A number of magnificent stories emanating from Englands neighbour to the West have been worthy of praise. The South Wales derby arriving on the world stage of the Premier League, Swansea City holding strong in the Europa League, Gareth Bale scoring in Champions League for Real Madrid, West Broms Boaz Myhill with a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, and Chris Coleman seemingly front runner for the managerial position with the Eagles. All aforementioned positive Welsh footballing stories pale in comparison to the continual top performances by two players on opposite ends of their playing careers. The legendary Ryan Giggs and the upstart Aaron Ramsey featured prominently in the Champions League midweek; a testament to the quality of both players. Giggs Manchester United and Ramseys Arsenal face one another this Sunday in what sets up to be a mouth-watering tie and statement match for both sides. Ramsey will play a key role. And based on form and possible squad selection, its hard to rule out some sort of Giggs intervention in the all-important match. Welsh football has an esteemed class of top players having come from the tiny British nation. Ian Rush, John Charles, Mark Hughes and Neville Southall immediately come to mind. And while Bale is the current poster boy, no player comes close to the accomplishments of Ryan Giggs. The most decorated player in Premier League history, Giggs added another notch to his belt Tuesday, playing in his 950th match for Manchester United in a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad. Giggs was influential in the middle of the park with United holding 55 per cent of possession and were two hit goal posts away from taking all three points. While his central midfield partner, Maraoune Fellaini was a mess and all over the place before being sent off, Giggs was a pillar of strength, bringing stability to the position and team organization. Nothing flashy, but efficient. Giggs 950th match for United puts him in the same illustrious category as all-time greats Paolo Maldini and Pele for extended service to one club. Nearing the age of 40, Giggs has undoubtedly lost a step, but his football instincts and adaptability still make him an important squad player at Old Trafford. The Welshmen has re-invented himself from a pacey left-winger into a savvy, composed central midfielder. Nowadays, Giggs picks his spots when moving forward in attack, preferring to use his superior vision and distribution to influence a match. Giggs resume speaks for itself – 13 Premier League titles, as well as a myriad of other silverware – and stands alone as the only player to play and score in every Premier League season. Now an assistant coach, it must be an awkward transition, not only in his career, but serving as the bridge between the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes. Coaching is a new role for him, and balancing his contributions on the field with staff responsibility speaks to how highly regarded he is at the club, from the top down. The fact he continues to contribute at a high level speaks to the class of the player. Hes only played nine matches, and must be used conservatively but the games he has played in speak to his importance. Hes played in three of Uniteds four Champions League matches, as well as appearing against Chelsea, Liverpool twice, and Southampton. United has clear weakness in the middle of the park. Fellaini is struggling to settle and Tom Cleverley has failed to convince. Phil Jones has been a fit in the midfield in certain matches. So it falls to Giggs to bring consistency to the position alongside Michael Carrick. It may not be ideal casting too much responsibility on a 39-year-old nor is it ideal to do the same with 18-year old Adnan Januzaj on the wing but thats where United is at for the time being. Despite their ages, Giggs and Januzaj both seem up for it. Important for both, Manchester United is returning to form. They are undefeated in October and their last eight overall heading into Sundays match with Arsenal. Squad rotation and role definition is all-important to this return to form. Giggs is a big part of that. Arsenal does not have the luxury of a deep squad. Relying on the young legs of a Welshman of their own is a must. Ramsey, 22, has been a revelation these early days. The winning goal in a 1-0 shock away victory at Borussia Dortmund not only puts the Gunners in pole position to advance from a very difficult Group F in the Champions League, but also incredibly brings Ramseys goal tally to 11 in 17 appearances in all competitions this season. Ramsey had 11 goals combined in the last four years in various competitions for Arsenal and Cardiff City. His emergence has tipped him as early front-runner for Player of the Year. Its strange to think the player is only 22, having originally featured with Arsenal in 2008/09. Ramsey has always been highly rated, but the early returns failed to live up to his lofty billing. The impatient nature of modern football had some questioning whether hed ever meet the standard of a top, regular Premier League footballer. There was legitimate reason to question. The player often looked timid, lost in his own skin, prone to mistake with little stature. The previous description has been the furthest from the truth in recent months. Its all seemed to come naturally for Ramsey this campaign. The cool finishing in front of goal stands out. Ramseys finish against Liverpool on the weekend was a testament to patience and confidence on the ball. Liverpool foolishly gave Ramsey too much time and space outside the 18-yard box. With awareness, Ramsey let the ball bounce three times, not rushing his effort, before delivering a top corner blast for his sixth tally in Premier League play; a class goal by every sense of the description. In previous years in a similar situation, the player would have rushed the effort or become over-anxious at the opportunity. His newfound calmness is striking, not only in goal scoring opportunities but also in possession of the ball. Taking players on, back heels, and cheeky interventions have become commonplace. Its no coincidence this growth has shown itself with other top creative players around him. The influence of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil is a positive one and cannot be discredited. Playing in a midfield of much lesser quality at Arsenal in previous years, where the line between brilliance and error was paper-thin, the context put too much of an onus on a player ill-prepared to take upon such a role. The midfield is now a strength at Arsenal; Ramsey is a prominent piece but not alone. Bale may have moved on to Spain but the Premier League remains in good Welsh hands. The savvy, record setting custodian and the lively, full of confidence young gun are making sure the Welsh Dragon is not forgotten in a sea of Belgian quality in the Premier League. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Blaine Gabbert Jersey . The Rangers centre left early in Game 1 with an upper body injury after being checked by Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver and has not played since. Brassard told reporters after practice that he was good to go. That brought a smile to the face of Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. Bennie Logan Jersey . However, the 38-year-old is in no hurry to sign with another team. "Im not in a rush. This will be my last contract, so I want to do it right," said Burris on Thursday. http://www.authenticshoptitans.com/dion-...jersey/.Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Will Compton Titans Jersey .The Hamilton Tiger-Cat defensive back always has the required receipt. But he also walks around with a tangle of metal screws, rods and plates after breaking his neck in 2006 playing high school football in Louisiana. Malcolm Butler Titans Jersey . Henry, who missed three games with a knee injury, was charged with a handball in the penalty area in the 82nd minute as he went to block a strike from Patrick Mullins. On the ensuing penalty kick, Lee Nguyen picked up his fourth goal of the season, giving the Revolution a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon. ST. LOUIS -- Home opener hoopla was no distraction at all for Michael Wacha. Neither was the 49-degree chill for the first pitch. The 22-year-old rookie was definitely excited about the occasion and the opportunity. Just like last fall when he was the breakout pitching star of the post-season, he fed off the atmosphere. "Huge crowd out there, a lot of energy," Wacha said after the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 on Monday. "Its a lot of fun pitching in front of your home crowd, 40,000-plus fans. "I dont know who wouldnt thrive off those kind of situations." Wacha outdid Tony Cingrani in a rematch of young power arms, and the Cardinals got a three-run double from Yadier Molina in the first inning. "I didnt have my fastball, so what are you going to do? I just tried to battle," Cingrani said. "One bad pitch and it cleared the bases." A standing-room crowd of 47,492, the largest at 9-year-old Busch Stadium, braved daylong rain to greet the National League champions and take a look at the new Ballpark Village. Hundreds milled about the attached complex, which features five sports bars and rooftop seating. The Cardinals bunched three hits and a walk over the first five hitters to take the early lead against Cingrani (0-1), who allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings against the Cardinals six days earlier in Cincinnati. The Cards went 1 for 18 before adding RBIs from Matt Holliday and Allen Craig off Trevor Bell in a two-run seventh. St. Louis ended a three-game losing streak on opening day, including a blowout loss to the Reds last year. Wacha (1-0) hadnt allowed a run in 21 career innings against the Reds before back-to-back doubles by Brayan Pena and pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina in the fifth cut the Cardinals lead to 3-1. The NL championship series MVP benefited from two double-play balls in six stingy innings and has permitted one run in 13 2-3 innings his first two starts. Wacha threw 82 pitches before getting lifted for a pinch hitter with the Cardinals up by two runs and two on in the sixth. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny wanted to take a shot at putting the Reds away, but thought the right-hander had plenty left. "That was more of a situation of whats best for the day, whats best for that particular game," Matheny said. Cingrani needed 31 pitches to get through the first and lasted four innnings, striking out five but walking four.dddddddddddd Matheny said before the game that his hitters had been a "click off" with timing against the 24-year-old lefty last week and should benefit from another chance so soon. Pena said he wasnt trying to make excuses but thought Cingrani was bothered by the elements. "The baseball was slippery. He couldnt grab his breaking ball the way he wanted," Pena said. Peter Bourjos moved up to second in the order and got his first two hits of the season after an 0-for-13 start. Craig got his third hit and third RBI of the season after entering 2 for 22. Seeing Wacha once again didnt do the Reds any good. Theyve totalled 18 runs in seven games. "Right now, almost collectively, weve struggled to do anything with guys in scoring position," Cincinnati manager Bryan Price said. "But thatll change. Its tough to sit through it." The start of the game was delayed 12 minutes after the inclement weather combined with pregame ceremonies that featured the traditional grand entrance with players, coaches and Hall of Famers touring Busch Stadium on the back of convertibles and trucks. A team of Clydesdales was kept in the stable due to concerns the field might be damaged. Billy Hamilton doubled to start the game and the Reds put the leadoff man on base in the first four innings but were undone by two double plays. Zack Cozart broke an 0-for-22 slump to start the season with a bloop RBI single, and pinch-hitter Neftali Soto had a sacrifice fly for his first career RBI in the ninth against St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal, who gave up his first runs at home since Aug. 15 against Pittsburgh. The Cardinals opened the first with singles by Matt Carpenter and Bourjos, and Holliday walked to load the bases with none out. Craig struck out before Molina cleared the bases with a drive to left-centre on a 1-2 pitch. NOTES: Lance Lynn (1-0, 5.40 ERA) opposes Homer Bailey (0-1, 8.31) in the second game of the series, another rematch from the season-opening series in Cincinnati. Lynn allowed three runs in five innings and Bailey gave up four runs in 4 1-3 innings in St. Louis 7-6 win. ... The Reds anticipate activating reliever Jonathan Broxton (forearm) from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. The team held off making the move Monday to give Broxton two days off after pitching on consecutive days. 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