Older readers may remember the days when cricketers had problems, or worse. These days they have issues. He has issues with the short ball, we say - meaning that the cricketer in question has taken a blow too many and no longer plays the short ball with confidence.In other words, hes scared. Yeller. He cant take it. He dont like it up im. Thats the essential truth, but we prefer not to put it that way. Its not even a problem. Its a set of issues. So when Stuart Broad elects to play the bouncer by crowding the square-leg umpire, its because he has issues.He has admitted as much. Some thought the frankness did him credit but no favours. On the other hand, you dont have to be Sherlock Holmes, or for that matter the Analyst, to work out that a batsman imitating the nuptial dance of the crowned crane is not entirely at ease.So yes, he has issues. Kevin Pietersen had issues with left-arm spin. Good left-arm spin had him perplexed; but bad left-arm spin was far worse. It twisted his poor mind like a pretzel. Here was naked self-doubt in a man whose self-belief was his stock-in-trade. Here was proof that behind all the swagger was a human being like us. There was also a hint that he might even be mildly agreeable.Issues. So much less of a problem than problems. Its a term that has come into use across society. Your bodys not falling apart, you have medical issues. A lot of quite tough words, some of them uncompromising, insulting and demeaning, have been scratched out of common use. A person in a wheelchair has mobility issues.Sport has picked this up with alacrity. Thats partly because we have a natural tendency to let sportspeople off lightly - to embrace the euphemism. Thats especially true for specialist journos, who must keep going back to cricketers and other athletes if they want to remain employed. If you wrote that Broad was a coward or that Pietersen was in a state of funk, youd never get another quote. So you say that they have issues, and the game can continue.Its not only expedient. Its the nature of the times. We scorn hard truths and prefer to conceal them with softer words. So we seldom say that Lance Armstrong, Hansie Cronje and Tiger Woods were stinking, lying hypocrites who did exactly as they pleased while setting themselves up as men of conspicuous virtue. They had issues…Part of me revolts against such muddling and soft-soaping. Part of me thinks that we should call a spade a spade and a hypocrite a hypocrite. The crystal-clear, downright unambiguous condemnation of such people seems to be a good thing rather than a bad one.But theres another side to this. In 2013, Jonathan Trott abandoned a tour of Australia because he couldnt take it anymore. It was a crack-up, a breakdown, a personal collapse - call it whatever you like. His body was fine but his mind could no longer face the challenges of Test cricket in the course of a disastrous tour that left its scars on everyone who took part in it. But Trott was not vilified. He was treated with understanding and compassion. He wasnt a coward; he had issues. And we all have issues. Most people thought, well, there but for the grace of God go I. The world did not see this as a moral failure. Just issues.Compare and contrast this with the treatment given to Phil Tufnell on an Ashes tour in the 90s. He too had a crack-up. He went on a crying jag and eventually found himself in a psychiatric hospital. He discharged himself and went back to the team hotel, feeling easier after what was, perhaps, a cathartic release. The management took him to task and fined him £1000.So yes, better to suffer from issues and get the benefit of a little compassion than to be forced to suffer for the crime of suffering. Marcus Trescothick was a brave pioneering spirit in this when his own anxieties made touring impossible for him. He spoke frankly of his breakdown at the airport, and again, he was treated with understanding. It was something of an education for everyone touched by the story. Graeme Fowler has written movingly of his own psychological troubles in his book Absolutely Foxed.Im suspicious of euphemism and all forms of soft soap, but Im in favour of compassion and understanding. Like most of us, I expect. So if the idea of issues allows a few people to be given a gentler judgement than they deserve, it has also allowed others to be given the understanding they need - to the benefit of everyone else as well. Buy Sneakers Online Canada . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Sneakers Canada Sale . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.sneakersclearancecanada.com/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Discount Sneakers Canada . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Sneakers Shoes Canada Sale .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Lance Berkman isnt ready to retire yet. He wants to try and help the Texas Rangers down the stretch. The 37-year-old designated hitter who is on the disabled list said Thursday, after pondering his playing future for several days, that hes "coming back." "I feel like if I can push myself and endure a little bit of discomfort to try and help this team win," Berkman said. "Ive made up my mind thats what this team needs to happen and Im going to do my dangdest to give them whatever I got." Berkman has been on the DL since July 7 with left hip inflammation, and has also experienced pain in his surgically repaired right knee. He will go with the Rangers for their next six games on the West Coast to keep working out. He is targeting Aug. 8 or 9 for the start of a rehab assignment. General manager Jon Daniels and Berkman spoke Wednesday, after the Rangers didnt add a hitter at the non-waiver trade deadline. The switch-hitter said they "both agreed the thing to do is to keep the rehab going and try to get back out there as quick as I can." Berkman is hitting .254 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 68 games. The Rangers knew of the risk when they gave Berkman a $10 million contract last winter that includes a $12 million club option for 20114 with a $1 million buyout.dddddddddddd He played only 32 games last season for St. Louis after two operations on his right knee. "The hitting has never really been an issue except when I hit right-handed. Its more running and the running is not good," said Berkman, who while feeling better each day knows he wont be totally pain free. "Its unrealistic to think I wouldnt be playing with discomfort from here on out. Its just a matter of managing the discomfort. The main thing is being able to run the bases." The Texas native is a .294 career hitter in his 15th major league season. He played for the Houston Astros from 1999-2010, part of their only World Series team in 2005. He spent the last part of 2010 with the New York Yankees before going to the Cardinals for two seasons, including their 2011 World Series title over the Rangers. Berkman thought about retiring last off-season before signing with the Rangers, and that thought crossed his mind again during his latest DL stint. "No doubt. It absolutely did. You get to a certain point with these injuries and it just becomes so frustrating," he said. "Its a mental grind. Every day you feel not good and its not fun to compete whenever you feel like youre 60 per cent of what you should be." ' ' '