ROME - Perhaps Mario Balotellis struggles with Liverpool will have a positive effect on his return to Italys squad.Thats what Azzurri coach Antonio Conte is hoping for after giving Balotelli a surprising call-up for a key European Championship qualifier against Croatia on Sunday.Its the first time Conte has included Balotelli since taking over from Cesare Prandelli after Italys first-round elimination from the World Cup.Maybe its even better that Balotelli is coming in during a rough period, Conte said Monday as Italy began training in Florence. I think hell dedicate himself to the national team.Since transferring from AC Milan, Balotelli has scored only two goals in 14 appearances for Liverpool — and none in the Premier League.Glad to be back on the National Team and proud to represent my country, Balotelli wrote on Facebook.Without Balotelli, Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza have taken over as the starters in attack under Contes preferred 3-5-2 formation. It remains to be seen if Balotelli will be used as a bench option or possibly replace Zaza.All players are equal. Balotelli, like everyone else, could play if hes in form but he could also end up on the bench or even in the tribune, Conte said. Balotelli has a lot of experience with the national team, having played a World Cup and a European Championship. Thats important but its not enough. Hes going to have to show me he can adapt to my type of football.Others have already shown that. Immobile, Zaza, (Graziano) Pelle and (Sebastian) Giovinco start with an advantage, Conte added. If over the course of a week Balotelli shows me hes reached the level of the others then he could pass in front of them.While Italy has won all four of its matches under Conte, the Azzurri struggled somewhat in their last two games, a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan and a 1-0 victory over Malta.Im looking forward to knowing (Balotelli). Its good to have competition, Zaza said. It could help the squad. I knew sooner or later he would be called up. Hes one of the best Italian forwards.Italy and Croatia are level at the top of Group H with nine points each. Two days after Sundays match at the San Siro — where Balotelli formerly played for both Inter and AC Milan — Italy hosts Albania in Genoa for a friendly.Conte said speculation that he had called up Balotelli merely to meet sponsor demands was nonsense.I dont exclude anyone, said the coach who guided Juventus to the last three Serie A titles. Balotelli is playing as a starter for Liverpool. Im forced to call up many players who are not starters for their clubs.Balotelli has scored 13 goals in 33 appearances for Italy, and was instrumental in the Azzurris run to the final of Euro 2012. But after scoring in Italys opening win over England at the World Cup, both he and the rest of Prandellis attack struggled in the next two matches against Costa Rica and Uruguay.Balotelli was the focus of a big portion of the blame for Italys early exit from the tournament in Brazil.Four months ago when he scored against England, you hailed Balotelli as Italys national treasure, Conte said. Four months later, hes being (attacked). I think thats part of the problem. Hes just a normal player.Conte deflected questions over reports in English tabloids focusing on Balotellis late-night partying habits.Im going to evaluate Balotelli for what he does from here on, Conte said. You know my rules and how severe I am. Im not going to waver on that.___Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf Cheap NCAA Jerseys . 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The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. It immediately halts all domestic track and field competitions, including track meets May 12-13 in several Greek cities.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - If you were to go head-to-head against Patrick Reed, you better hope that it isnt a Monday. That is Reeds favorite day of the week. As a young professional in 2012, Reed Monday-qualified his way into six PGA Tour events. That was his springboard to the tour. He earned his tour card for 2013, where he earned his first PGA Tour win and he hasnt looked back since. Reed holed out for eagle on the 16th at Kapalua to gain a share of the lead with Jimmy Walker on Monday. The two eventually headed to a playoff, where Reed birdied the first extra hole for his fourth tour title. Seven-for-nine, Reed exclaimed afterward. Meaning he has won, or Monday-qualified, seven of the nine times he competed on Mondays on the PGA Tour. Would you want to battle him on a Monday? Reed wasnt as brash after this win as he had been after winning the WGC- Cadillac Championship last year. After that victory, Reed said, I think Im one of the five-best players in the world. He hasnt reached that lofty perch quite yet, but he has climbed to 14th in the new rankings. Those rankings are fickle and tend to reward consistently good play. Five of the 13 players ranked ahead of Reed have fewer PGA Tour wins, but of that group, only Jordan Spieth has been on tour for a shorter period. This win gave Reed the most victories for any player on tour under the age of 25. It also put Reed in a select group with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia as the only players in the last 20 years with four or more wins at age 24 or younger. Mondays final round didnt start off with Reed in the lead. In fact, he was two back at the outset, and was four back by the time he reached the 15th tee. There were plenty of fireworks down the stretch, though. Reed reached the green at the par-5 15th in two shots and two putts later, his birdie inched him within two as Walker, in the group behind Reed, bogeyed the 14th. Two shots later, Reeds deficit was gone. He holed an 80-yard wedge shot for eagle to vault him alongside Walker at 21-under. But, there were still two holes to play and plenty could happen. Reed missed the green at the 17th and chipped to four feet. However, he missed the short par effort and now needed birdie or eagle at the last hole to force the playoff. He reached the green at the monstrous 18th in two, but was nearly 80 feet from the hole. Reed lagged his eagle try to tap-in range. After the birdie, it was off to the scorers tent to see if Walker would seal the deal. Walker, who parred 17, missed the green at No. 18 and hit a poor chip to boot. He failed to convert his 17-footer for birdie, and that meant he and Reed were headed to a playoff. Reed against Walker, head-to-head, in a Monday playoff. It was almost as if the result was known before they sttarted the extra session.dddddddddddd Reed hit a poor tee shot, but got away with it. Walker hit a worse second shot, and didnt escape. Walker also hit a poor third, opening the door for Reed, who drained a 19-foot putt for birdie and the win. It helped Reed that Walker didnt have his best stuff in the final round, but Reed still needed to rally late in the round to give himself a chance. At any future event Patrick Reed contends in, I wouldnt want there to be any weather delays to push the completion into Monday. You just know Reed would come out on top of that event. WALKER COUGHS UP TITLE CHANCE Walker was going for his fourth PGA Tour win in the last 15 months, but an even-par back nine did him in. And a couple of short putts were to blame. Walker won three times in the 2013-14 season. That helped him soar up the world rankings and earn a spot on his first Ryder Cup team among other things. None of that mattered on Monday. Walker drained a clutch 8-foot par putt on the sixth to keep his round going, but he couldnt keep the momentum on the back nine. Though that par save spurred Walker onto three straight birdies from the eighth, that was all the birdies he could muster the rest of his round. Walker missed a pair of birdie putts from inside 10 feet at the 15th and 16th. If either of those putts fell, he would likely be the champion. Walker had two longer birdie putts, 31 and 17 feet, on the final two holes and failed to convert them. He made a mess of the playoff hole, including knocking his second shot into the grandstands short, right of the green. That opened the door for his 2014 Ryder Cup teammate Patrick Reed to earn his fourth win. Walker did post his 12th top-10 finish in his last 31 PGA Tour starts. That is quite a remarkable turnaround from earlier his career, where he notched 19 top-10 finishes in 187 starts. Obviously, something has started clicking for Walker. Now, he just needs to regain that magic touch from last season. MINI-TIDBITS * The European Tour kicks off its desert swing this week in Abu Dhabi, and does so with a strong field. Four of the top-10 players and five of the top 12 from the latest world rankings are competing this week. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy headlines that group. He will play again in two weeks in Dubai, then will likely be off for a month after that. * Robert Streb entered the third round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions like a pitcher entering the sixth inning of a no-hitter. Streb was bogey-free for 36 holes, the only player in the field who could say that. After some talk about that, Streb proceeded to bogey the first hole of the third round. So much for the no-hitter, and bogey-free tournament. He posted three more bogeys over his final 35 holes en route to sharing eighth place. ' ' '