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PHOENIX -- Red and blue lights flashed in the darkness as rap music blared and smoke filled the Washington Nationals clubhouse. William Karlsson Jersey . The party ended at the door of the managers office. Inside it, Matt Williams, the one person who should have been celebrating, was subdued, calmly talking about his teams latest comeback win. With his teams recent struggles, he was just happy to get a win -- no matter where it was. Pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen and Danny Espinosa each hit solo homers in the ninth inning, helping the Nationals rally for a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night in Williams return to the desert. "Its good win for us," Williams said. "We needed that." Williams was a fixture in Arizona before becoming Washingtons manager this off-season. His new team scored four runs early, shut down for four innings, and tied it when Espinosa hit the second pitch of the ninth by Addison Reed (1-3) just over the wall in right. Frandsen put the Nationals up by lining his second career pinch-hit homer to left and Rafael Soriano stranded a runner at second in the ninth for his eighth save. Tyler Clippard (3-2) pitched a scoreless inning, Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer and Tyler Moore added a solo shot for Washington, which followed a three-game sweep by Oakland with its 11th comeback victory. "We needed that win," Espinosa said. "Coming off the series we just had, we really needed this. Its a good win." The Diamondbacks thought they had it. Arizona had 13 hits -- three by Aaron Hill -- and went up 5-4 when A.J. Pollock hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning. The bullpen did its job for three innings until it got to the ninth, where Reed struggled for his second blown save and Arizonas first loss when leading after eight innings (11-1). "There is not controversy here. He is our closer," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "He has done a (heck of a) job for us. Lets not forget that. It didnt work out tonight." Williams played for Arizona from 1996-2003 and was on the coaching staff from 2010-13 before getting his first shot at managing. He received a nice ovation when he was recognized and a video tribute played on the video board after the first inning. Williams current team limped into the desert for a three-game series against his old one. The Nationals have lost five of their eight position players from opening day to the disabled list, the latest first baseman Adam LaRoche, who went out Sunday with a strained right quad. The Diamondbacks have been headed in the opposite direction since getting off to the worst start in franchise history. Ten games under .500 after 18 games, Arizona has started to show signs of life, winning three straight series during a 6-3 road trip that ended Sunday. Both teams knocked the ball around the ballpark most of the night. Moore, LaRoches replacement, went 0-for-3 after being called up on Sunday, but had a quick impact in Mondays game, hitting a solo homer to left off Josh Collmenter in the second inning to put Washington up 2-0. Collmenter hit his first career double in the third inning and scored on Martin Prados ground-rule double to end Jordan Zimmermanns scoreless streak at 12 innings. Paul Goldschmidt followed with another run-scoring double and Miguel Montero drove him in with a single to put Arizona up 3-2. The lead didnt last long; Desmond lined a two-run homer to left in the fourth to put Washington back up 4-3. Collmenter allowed four runs on four hits in five innings. Pollock put Arizona on top again in the sixth inning, dropping a two-run homer onto the pool deck in right. Zimmermann allowed five runs on 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings. Randall Delgado, Evan Marshall and Brad Ziegler each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for Arizona, but Reed gave up two homers that cleared by a few feet each in the ninth to give Williams bragging rights over his former team for at least one night. "I just have to keep the ball down and throw the ball where I am trying to throw it," Reed said. "Location is everything in pitching and right now I am leaving it over the middle of the plate." NOTES: Phoenix Mercury centre Brittney Griner threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Frandsens other pinch-hit homer was June 22, 2013, against the Mets... Ziegler stretched his scoreless streak to 18 1-3 innings with a perfect eighth. ... Arizona RHP Bronson Arroyo, who will start the second game against Washington on Tuesday, is 2-0 and has not allowed an earned run in 14 1-3 innings his past two starts. He will face Stephen Strasburg, who is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his past four starts. Sam Gagner Blue Jackets Jersey . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. Brandon Saad Blue Jackets Jersey . Pominville scored in all three of Minnesotas games last week to help the Wild (8-4-3, 19 points) earn four out of a possible six points. His best performance was in a 4-3 win over Montreal on Friday, where he posted a season-high three points (two goals, one assist), including the game-winning goal. http://www.bluejacketshockeystore.us/Matt-Calvert-Jersey/ .com) - The New York Rangers hope to punch their ticket to the second round when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for a Game 6 battle at Wells Fargo Center.World Cup South Africa 2010 was a special time. Football coming to a soccer-mad continent, but to a country where the game wasnt most popular had a peculiar charm. The cultural experience was a rich one for both locals and visitors alike. Its too bad the football didnt live up to the occasion and celebration around it. The soccer was poor four years ago: stale, cagey and safe. Teams played not to lose and the result was often times a difficult product to watch. Fast forward to the first two days of Brazil 2014, and the games couldnt be more different. Four games in, and the tournament is four for four in appealing, captivating football. Attacking, purposeful and entertaining: the matches through two days have had it all. 15 goals so far is an impressive tally, representing a breath-taking start. Problem is the question lingers whether our initial taste of the 2014 World Cup will be characterized by top football or the sour taste of dubious referee decisions? To many poor officiating has overshadowed the standout play seen through two days. Its a shame on the worlds biggest stage the officiating of the sport remains subpar. Significant dollars, national pride, and worldwide perspective and opinion of soccer are shaped and are on the line. Instead of conversations about Robin van Persies scoring prowess and Neymars mesmorizing skill, the discussion revolves around bad calls and disallowed goals. Croatia was slighted in the opener after an incompetent referee decision awarded the hosts a penalty. The penalty given by Yuichi Nishumura should never have been. Brazilian striker Fred clearly flopped, and Nishumura hesistated before pointing to the spot and conspicuously showing Dejan Lovren a yellow. The crowd and the moment got the best of the official. Nishumura looked tentative throughout the match, ill-suited for the occasion. Neymar made it 2-1. Good night, Croatia. Harsh. Mexico had two goals disallowed in their 1-0 win over Cameroon thanks to an over-anxious linesman. Two offside calls that never were cost Giovani Dos Santos the headlines. More importantly for Mexico, those are two valuable goals gone by the wayside in a group where goal differential may decide who advances and who goes home. Mexico was victim to a Carlos Tevez goal from an offside position in 2010. Twice unlucky, this time on Friday the 13th doesnt bode well. The trifecta of unjust decisions was completed when Spain was given a penalty in their Group B opener against the Netherlands when Diego Costa stepped on the leg of a diving Stefan De Vrij. The penalty was given for poor defending and not a foul. The defender has to stay on his feet. But a penalty conceded was not deserved. Xabi Alonso converted to give Spain the early lead. If it were not for an incredible turn of events leading to the Dutch slaughter of Spain in Salvador, it would be another black eye on the game. Regardless the scoreline, the flawed decision has the viewing public talking. The biggest problem the game of soccer has given itself is a lack of credibility and belief the proceedings are on the up and up. The word most commonly spewed criticism by casual onlookers after two days is "fix" because of years of negative press and exaggeration of the shadiness of the global game. Whether its true or not, there is a level of distrust among a cynical fanbase. Not so cynical that the world stops watching, but negative enough to cry bloody murder. To the devout fan, the questionable officiating has become a frustrating distraction to the true beauty. Bad refereeing shouldnt be accepted as commonplace. But it is. p;While goal-line technology has proven a worthy addition to the game, its clear referees need more help in doing their job. Columbus Blue Jackets Hoodie . Relying on the judgment of one man attempting to marshal proceedings on a massive playing field at a time when the game is faster than ever is proving to be a challenge too daunting. Giving more responsibility to the referees assistants hasnt helped much. It has made the job of a linesman that much more difficult, having to lend a helping hand to calling fouls in their quarter of the field while holding the line, maintaining their position to call offside. They are being entrusted to do two things at once, with no room for error. What should the priority be: holding the back-line or adjudicating the play? Its tough. FIFA remains open for more criticism, making its priority to include referees from all member confederations to the World Cup. Why arent the best officials, no matter where they are from, sent to officiate the most important games? Officiating crews from four continents have overseen the first four games. Are they the best in the world? Its difficult to say yes. So what more can be done to help referees? Instant replay on decisions involving goal-scoring situations is an answer. A quick review of whether a goal was scored from an offside position or not should be simple. Its reasonable to expect a clear decision, one way or another, with the use of replay to provide a conclusive answer by the end of a goal celebration. Getting the decision right should be priority. This is simplistic, and would give the fourth official a job other than babysitting the managers. Other reviewable decisions arent quite as easy. Although the laws of the game (fouls, handballs, etc...) are crystal clear, the interpretation of the rules are not. What one official deems a foul, or hand-to-ball or ball-to-hand varies. Replay may strike up more internal debate on situations there may not be a clear answer. If more replay is brought in, there has to be a clear line how far and for what the technology is applicable. This is a must. And to tell you the truth, I dont have an answer where that line should be. FIFA embracing an idea as such is best case a long shot. There are too many reasons why not to apply than there is to use. The status quo will remain. Instead of more technology, perhaps the best answer is to add another official to the field of play. Two on-field referees. The NHL added a referee when the game became too fast and the officials couldnt keep up. Angles and referee positioning would be markedly better, and fatigue would be less an issue. Although they may see the game different ways, four eyeballs are better than two. Perhaps another referee would have caught Costas head butt of Martins Indi? Perhaps another official could have helped Graham Poll in the 2010 World Cup Final when the head referee said he didnt have a proper angle when Nigel de Jongs challenge went high into the chest of Alonso. Officiating will always be imperfect, and we can accept that. What we cant accept is a reluctance to change when it hurts the integrity of the game. A second referee is the easiest answer, and could represent a step in a positive direction. Referees will always make mistakes. Its a bigger mistake to do nothing. Its been a spectacular start to the tournament. There is no reason to believe the top play wont continue. And there is no reason to believe the negative talking points surrounding officiating wont continue too. What will you focus on? I tend to worry it will be the latter. And you wouldnt be wrong or alone. 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