MINNEAPOLIS - All these years, Kobe Bryant has been chasing Michael Jordan. Carlos Beltran Rangers Jersey .The bar doesnt get any higher than that. And after Bryant passed Jordan for third on the NBAs career scoring list in the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, he offered a glimpse into the relentless mentality it takes to run down a legend.I think the competitive nature is something that frightens a lot of people when you peel back truly whats inside of a person to compete and be at that high level, Bryant said. It scares a lot of people that are just comfortable being average.Bryant has been compared to Jordan for a long time, in part because he dared to chase him. Where Bryant is every bit Jordans equal is in the tenacity that has kept him going through a torn Achilles tendon, bone-on-bone friction in his knees and now the painful rebuilding of a proud franchise.His competitiveness drives him in the off-season to work to be able to play at the level he plays, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. His competitiveness during the games to dominate offensively and defensively and then his competitiveness of wanting to win. Hell challenge teammates if need be and will do whatever it takes to try to get that edge.Its the only way Bryant knows. And he learned by studying the best.I think when you look at Michaels (Hall of Fame) speech, Bryant said, referring to a speech in which Jordan cited those who he perceived to have gotten in his way over the years. People really got a chance to see how he ticks and it scared a lot of people, right? But thats just the reality of it. You cant get to a supreme level without channeling the dark side a little bit.Bryants willingness to embrace the darkness has, in his own eyes, cast him as one of the leagues villains. It also likely ensures that his farewell tour, whenever that comes, will not be of the warm and fuzzy variety that New York Yankees star Derek Jeter enjoyed last season.Derek and I are different people, Bryant said. He hides it a lot better but I guarantee you our competitive spirit is exactly the same. He just hides it better or chooses to hide it. I dont choose to hide it.Then again, maybe he overestimates the animosity out there. Maybe thats another mind trick that he plays on himself to get him out of bed in the morning and to the gym for another workout.When No. 24 stepped to the free-throw line midway through the second quarter on Sunday night — with 5:24 remaining and 24 seconds on the shot clock, to be exact — needing both shots to move past Jordan, a Lakers-heavy crowd at Target Center stood and serenaded him. Cell phone flashes flickered as the first and second shots swished through and the Timberwolves stopped the game, with owner Glen Taylor presenting Bryant the game ball to a thunderous ovation.Im used to being the villain, man, Bryant said with a sheepish smile. To have moments like that, when youre not expecting a hug and you get a hug, this feels pretty damn good.Once it was finally over, the weight lifted and Bryant found another gear against a young Timberwolves team that includes 19-year-olds Andrew Wiggins — the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft — and Zach LaVine, who wears No. 8 in honour of Bryant.He finished the night with 26 points, including a dagger of a 3-pointer over Wiggins outstretched hand with just over a minute to play that helped seal the win.I witnessed greatness tonight, a star-struck Wiggins said. A living legend passed Michael Jordan, who everyone thinks is the best player of all-time. Thats a big accomplishment. Im glad I was there to witness it.Wiggins was 1 when a wide-eyed Bryant entered the league in 1996, and that wasnt lost on him in the afterglow on Sunday night.It was a strange feeling, Bryant said. I remember being Andrew Wiggins. I remember playing against Michael my first year. To be here tonight and playing against him and seeing the baby face and the little footwork and little technique things that hes going to be much, much sharper at as time goes on. It was like looking at a reflection of myself 19 years ago. It was pretty cool.Now that Bryant has bumped Jordan from the scoring podium, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) are in front of him.Even if he remains in third place, which appears likely, it wont really matter. Vaulting over Jordan, whose Jumpman logo is as synonymous with the NBA as Jerry Wests silhouette, is its own reward.Maybe thats why the insatiable Bryant wore the unfamiliar smile of satisfaction on Sunday night. Hes been trying for almost two decades. And now he can finally say hes beaten Jordan at something.It has a certain finality to it, he said. When moments like this come around, youre really overjoyed by it. At the same time, you know the end is pretty near, which is fine, too. Prince Fielder Jersey .C. - Alberta prop Andrew Tiedemann will captain Canada against Uruguay on Friday, the opening day of competition at the IRB Americas Rugby Championship. Buddy Bell Rangers Jersey . 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams cruised into the semifinals, while last years runner-up Vera Zvonareva succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in Thursdays womens quarterfinal action at the U. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/1332h-carlos-beltran-jersey-rangers.html . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards.Sky Sports News HQs Anton Toloui explains the proposed changes to the Champions League. What are the proposed changes?Basically, the tournament will start with a knockout competition instead of the group stage. So 32 teams entering the tournament will start with a two-legged tie, which will act as a play-off for a place in the new mini-league. And what is this mini-league?The last 16 teams remaining will be separated into two leagues of eight. Each team will play each other home and away, so each team will play 14 games.What does this mean for the bigger clubs?Traditional Champions League contenders from Europes big leagues will be delighted if this proposal is accepted. It will mean seven guaranteed home games potentially against fellow sides from Europes Big 5 leagues. That will result in increased ticket revenue and more people watching on TV around the world. Manchester Uniteds Wayne Rooney holds up the Champions League trophy Is TV the big reason for the change?Theres no doubting international TV markets have a huge impact on the clubs. Teams in Europe are concerned about trying to compete with Premier League teams when their new TV deal kicks in next season - this will help soften the blow. A mini-league format should mean more games involving the bigger clubs week-in, week-out, which means the next Champions League TV deal will be easier to sell to markets around the world.So bad news for the smaller clubs then?On the face of it, the chances of an extended European campaign for clubs outside the Big 5 leagues look diminished. However, romantics will point out that a win over two legs in the first round could guarantee 14 matches against some of Europes biggest teams. The problem there is we still dont know when teams from various countries will enter the competition. Also, a re-jigged, larger team-friendly tournament will be easier for UEFA to sell to foreign TV markets. That means more money for all of the clubs taking part, so the smaller teams could come out of this richer too. Pep Guardiola kisses the trophy after Barcelonas victory Im confused. Shin-Soo Choo Rangers Jersey. So its a good thing for them then?In purely footballing terms, probably not. One thing that isnt apparent is how many rounds teams will have to go through until they reach the new group stage. That may depend on UEFAs complicated coefficient system but some sides will inevitably have to play multiple two-legged ties before qualifying for the group stage. Another element that is up for debate is exactly when the top teams will enter the competition. Bigger clubs will always want as much protection as possible and will push to enter the tournament as late as possible.So is this to combat talk of a European Super League?Yes and no. Big clubs want to play each other more often in order to maximise revenue and gain maximum exposure. But there are many critics of the current Champions League format, with the current eight groups of four teams system often leading to obvious results as top seeds tend to play one or two smaller teams every year. The hope is that this would make the tournament more exciting by placing more evenly matched teams against each other on a regular basis and by increasing the number of knock-out games early on. CL changes discussed UEFA is in talks with clubs to change the format of the Champions League So when could we see change?No changes to the competition can take place before the 2018-19 season, when the current international TV deals expire. The bidding process for the next set of contracts start at the end of the year, so UEFA will want this matter agreed by then with September a date mooted. Also See: Champions League fixtures Results Tables Sky Bet markets ' ' '