EVANSTON, Ill. -- When members of Northwesterns football team had the chance to sign union cards back in January, some players signed their names, others did not. Running back Venric Mark said Tuesday that he wondered if the ones who did realized the ramifications of the decision and where it would lead. "I dont know if people kind of knew what they were or if they thought it was going to turn out the way it did. But at the end of the day, now its time to get back to work. I mean, we have a job to do." Whether being a student athlete is a job is at the centre of a national debate over whether college athletes should unionize. The Wildcats resumed spring practice Tuesday for the first time after a decision from a regional labour official that cleared the way for the formation of a union, setting up Northwestern as ground zero for the effort to organize athletes. The school is appealing. Former Wildcats quarterback Kain Colter has been serving as the face of the movement. Former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma, the designated president of the would-be union, said last week that the scholarship players would vote within 30 days on whether to authorize the College Athletes Players Association to represent them. The pair will be in Washington on Wednesday to meet with members of Congress. For now, theres a long list of unanswered questions before the team, such as when exactly the vote would be held, whether scholarships would be counted as taxable income and how it would affect the training schedule in a "work week" for those who play on the team. Could there be a division between players who signed union cards and those who did not? And what about the teams relationship with coach Pat Fitzgerald? "It doesnt threaten anything," said Mark, who would not say whether or not he signed a union card. "Northwestern has treated us all well and we know that. And we know that it is a privilege to be here so at the end of the day were all going to support our former teammate, but we also know were here to get a degree and were also here to play football." If Fitzgerald felt he was in an awkward spot, he wasnt about to say so on Tuesday. "No. Any football questions?" he said. Fitzgerald had not addressed the ruling from a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board with the team as of Tuesday morning. He and athletic administrators had an afternoon meeting with the schools lawyers. "You know theres a lot of things that well discuss here (with the team), but from the standpoint of the way that weve operated here, Ive got full confidence in the way we run our program and the guys have been terrific and I think theyve shown the commitment to the program," Fitzgerald said. "So its no change for us." Unionization would be a huge change to the landscape. Colter believes athletes lack basic protections, such as the guarantee of medical coverage and the promise of a four-year scholarship at most institutions. Scholarships are often renewed on an annual basis, and athletes feel vulnerable as a result, particularly if theres a change in coaches or philosophy. Colter has also testified about abandoning the idea of entering a pre-med program because of the time demands Northwestern places on its football players. He has also stressed that he enjoyed his time there and has praised Fitzgerald. Defensive lineman Chance Carter said he signed a union card. But he doesnt know how the team would vote if they have to make a decision this month to form a union. "I dont know," Carter said. "Im not sure what everyones reaction is. ... A lot of us just got back in town (after spring break). Were trying to figure things out." Carter said he only read the first and last parts of an email message from Colter addressing the ruling. He did say that Colter would answer players questions and address their concerns face-to-face when he returns to campus. Carter wasnt sure exactly when that will happen. Nike Air Max 270 Rabatt . He never mentioned anything about his hitting. The 33-year-old right-hander had success with both Sunday, pitching six solid innings and helping the offence-starved Mets with an RBI single as New York salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Air Max 95 Sverige .5 million. The 25-year-old Varlamov is thriving under first-year coach and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, posting a 26-9-5 record with a 2. http://www.reaairmaxsverige.com/air-max-plus-rabatt.html. The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Nike Air Max 270 Dam Rea . Winnipeg trailed by five points in the final minute when quarterback Drew Willy completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive with Feoli-Gudinos 18-yard touchdown catch on third down to lift the Bombers to a 34-33 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night. Nike Air Max 97 Rea . "I was so nervous," Hadley said Sunday after winning the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory. "I did not eat well last night.TORONTO -- Six games into the 2014 season and the Toronto Blue Jays already have two shutouts under their belt. "Thats been a rarity around here," Toronto manager John Gibbons said dryly. "Maybe were on to something." It took the 2013 Jays 53 games to collect that many shutouts. They were 2-4 at this stage. Of course, Toronto (3-3) has also had three games this season in which the pitching staff has surrendered 11-plus hits. The Jays lost all three of those. What does it all mean? That, as Gibbons predicted repeatedly during spring training, Toronto will go as far as its pitching takes it this season. On Saturday, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey outduelled Michael Pineda with late home-run help from Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista as Toronto blanked the New York Yankees 4-0. Dickey (1-1) pitched a gem of the game but Torontos early lack of offence meant the contest was balanced on a knifes edge as he worked to protect a slim 1-0 lead. He was aided by some nifty defence, some of which was his own handiwork. Centre-fielder Colby Rasmus also made two sparkling defensive plays to help blunt New York attacks. "Our defence has been superb to start the year ... Weve played great defence, weve had timely hitting," said Dickey. "Hopefully we can keep pushing forward." The former New York Met has now allowed just one earned run in his last 20 innings against the Yankees. Gibbons, who got the other shutout in Tampa from Mark Buehrle, savoured what he called a bounce back game after 7-2 and 7-3 losses to the Rays and Yankees, respectively. "It was a big game this early in the year," said Gibbons. "(Dickey) stepped up and the bullpen did their thing. "It was good to see the offence open it up late and give us a little breathing room. Thats huge in this game, especially in this ball park." An Adam Lind double and Josh Thole RBI single gave the Jays a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It could have been more but Thole was thrown out trying to take second with Ryan Goins at the plate. Goins subsequent double was wasted. A solo homer by Cabrera and two-run shot by Bautista, both off reliever David Phelps in the eighth, added some insurance for the Jays. It was Cabreras second home run in as many days and Bautistas third of the season. Toronto outhit New York 8-7. Dickey exited with two out and one man on in the seventh, having held the Yankees (2-3) scoreless on five hits. The veteran right-hander struck out six and walked one in a 108-pitch performance that included 69 strikes. "You never know what youre going to get there, you have no idea," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of the knuckleballer. "You have no idea whos going to hit him or not hit him. Its probably the most unpredictable day that youre going to have as a manager." The top of the Yankees order threatened in the eigghth with men on first and second with none out against Brett Cecil.ddddddddddddThe left-hander got two out and then gave way to right-hander Sergio Santos with men on second and third. Santos struck out Alfonso Soriano to preserve the lead for Toronto. Rasmus made a dazzling over-the-shoulder catch of a Francisco Cervelli blast to deep centre in the ninth to deny the Yankees. Santos survived putting two men on in the ninth to record his second save, striking out the red-hot Jacoby Ellsbury to end the game. The afternoon contest drew an announced crowd of 45,446 to Rogers Centre, the second straight sellout under the dome. Pineda (0-1), in his first Yankees start after a lengthy injury absence, gave up one earned run on five hits in six innings. He threw 83 pitches, 58 for strikes, and struck out five with no walks. The 25-year-old Pinedas last big league start was Sept. 21, 2011 as a Seattle Mariner. He was traded to the Yankees after the 2011 season in a deal that sent catcher Jesus Montero to the Mariners. But the 2011 all-star was shelved by a shoulder injury during 2012 spring training. The six-foot-seven 265-pound pitcher from the Dominican Republic returned to action last July, going 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 starts in the minors. Dickey lost the season opener 9-2 to Tampa Bay, giving up a career-high six walks in five innings work. He also struck out four. He credited higher velocity for part of the turnaround from the Tampa to Toronto games. "Part of its the pitch, I mean really," he said of the mercurial knuckleball. "And some of its the fact that I was able to climb to those higher velocities today. "But look, youve got to live and die with the pitch. Thats part of what makes it very difficult to do at the big league level and its part of the thing that makes it very special." Cervelli doubled off Dickey to open the third after the first six Yankees went down in order. Dickey struck out the next two Yanks and Rasmus gunned down Cervelli at the plate on a single by Ellsbury. The play survived a review, initiated by the umpiring crew to see whether Thole was blocking the plate. The perfectly placed throw was in front of Thole down the third-base line, meaning the catcher had to step over the plate to get to it. The two collided at the plate but Thole held on to the ball. The Yankees had something going in the sixth with a single and walk and none out. But Dickey, who received his Gold Glove award Friday, hauled in a Carlos Beltran hard liner to trigger a double play. A lineout completed the escape. Yankees veteran Derek Jeter, who was rested Friday, was denied in his bid for a 3,319th career hit which would tie Paul Molitor for eighth on MLBs all-time list and fourth on the AL career list. The Yankees have now gone the first five games of the season without a home run for only the fifth time since 1932. ' ' '