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RIO DE JANEIRO -- An Algerian womens goalball team could be expelled from the Paralympics for failing to show up for two matches.IPC officials said the absence could be a form of political protest, which is banned in the Paralympics as it is in the Olympics.The International Paralympic Committee said the team did not appear for a Friday match against the United States, and would also miss a match on Saturday against Israel.In terms of political protests, there are a range of actions we could take, IPC spokesman Craig Spence said. It could be a slap on the wrist. It could be as easy at that. It could be that the team is removed from the competition.Spence said Algerian officials claim they suffered multiple delays, cancelled flights and missed connections attempting to board a flight Sept. 5 from Warsaw, Poland en route to Rio de Janeiro.Spence said the rest of the Algerian delegation was in Rio. Algerian officials told the IPC that the goalball team would arrive on Sunday.Even if you caught a boat from Poland to Brazil, you probably could have got here in time, Spence said. So were still working with the Algerians as to whether they can give us a sensible explanation.Goalball is a Paralympic sport for the blind or visually impaired. Three players on each side occupy a small court and try to maneuver a ball into the opposing net, getting directional clues from bells inside the soccer-size ball.During last months Olympics, Middle East politics also spilled over when an Egyptian judo athlete was sent home after refusing to shake the hands of an Israeli opponent.The IOC acknowledged the rules of judo did not oblige players to shake hands, but said the Egyptians behavior went against Olympic rules of fair play and spirit of friendship.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade Albert Pujols . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Keith Hernandez . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/custom-rangel-ravelo-jersey-large-1231q.html .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Bob Gibson . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Yadier Molina .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. You know what they say about best-laid plans. But, all things being equal, this could be a different kind of season for the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks when it comes to the trade deadline.Stan Bowman has been among the more creative and aggressive GMs during his time in Chicago. He always is looking to plug holes in his contending squad, spending a first-round pick last season to get rental Andrew Ladd, or a first-round pick the year before that for Antoine Vermette and a second-rounder for Kimmo Timonen.But Chicago will host the draft in June, and this time around Bowman is very reluctant to move his top draft picks.Were trying to make it a big event, and everyone [here] is excited about hosting it, Bowman told ESPN.com on Friday. So from that perspective, were probably going to try to hang on to those picks. Now, anything is possible. But its unlikely that I would be moving the early picks in the draft.The Blackhawks have 10 picks for the 2017 draft, including three in the fifth round and two in the sixth -- plus all of their normal slots.We did that on purpose. We do have a lot; we want to make a splash out of it, said Bowman. Hopefully it will work out well. I dont know if its a great draft; early returns are mixed on it. But there are always players in the draft.All of which means that Bowman doesnt plan on his normal trade-deadline plan of action.As far as the deadline goes, well still be creative and look at things, but the other side of it is, we just dont have any cap space, said Bowman. I dont envision us having any [cap space], like Im not planning on us shedding any players. If theres injuries, I suppose ...Theres also this: For the first time in a while, the current Blackhawks have a real injection of youth. Perhaps Chicagos late-season boost will come from within that group.We have six first-year players on our team, said Bowman. Im looking more at those players being better players in the spring than they are now, just through playing 60-70 games in the league. I think were going to be improving from within more so than we are adding from outside. I like that part of it. I like the excitement of having Nick Schmaltz or Ryan Hartman?or Tyler Motte or [Vincent] Hinostroza; those guys are doing pretty well right now. We havent given them big responsibility yet, but I think as we go along were looking at that sort of as our internal improvement, so to speak.First-year defensemen?Michal Kempny and Gustav Forsling have also helped shore up Chicagos blue line. I wwould argue that this is Chicagos deepest defensive corps in years.ddddddddddddut question marks remain up front, where the Blackhawks hope some of the kids will make their mark before the end of the season to help complement their talented, veteran core. Its not that they are struggling to score; the Blackhawks are fifth in goals per game. Still, if the kids can step their game up another level in the second half, that will be a boost.I asked a veteran front office executive from a rival Western Conference team to give a scouting report on the Blackhawks four rookie forwards:Schmaltz, 20: Really talented kid, will need time to adjust, like most kids. But the beauty is the protection of?Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews?and those great veterans. Schmaltz has always been a top player, a real offensive guy. He has the potential to be a 25-goal scorer in the NHL. Hes in the ideal situation to develop there, with the veterans around him.Motte, 21: He is a legit bottom-six guy, has speed, works hard, smart. Hes a good fit for them there.Hinostroza, 22: A talented kid, good stick, good head. Hes not big, though. In my view, hes behind Schmaltz in terms of talent and growth potential, but hes intriguing.Hartman, 22: Hes always been a gritty kid, and this is a great opportunity for him. This kid will fill that gritty, energy role and hes got a decent nose for the net too. Probably a bottom-six guy, but I think hes a pretty good one.The regular season is an audition for those four rookies to grab a role.Its a matter up front of seeing if some of those guys emerge as bigger pieces, said Bowman. Right now, theyre not really carrying the load, its our main guys doing that. But as we go along, I expect them to improve. I look forward to seeing those guys grow their games. We havent had a lot of players who were going to get better during the year. Thats probably why, in the past, we went external to find ways to improve our team. But thats not really my game plan this year. Things can change, but Im looking for some growth from these guys. Hopefully one or two or three of them are going to emerge as being able to take on a bigger load as we go.A major injury or a prolonged slump certainly could change everything, and the Blackhawks do have their 2018 first-rounder to dangle if need be. But the plan in Chicago sure looks different on the trade front than most years. And thats OK. ' ' '