TORONTO - Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel often appears shy, quiet, reserved — at times almost uncomfortable when talking in a media scrum.He admits his answers arent that great. Hes not sure why reporters want to speak to him every day. And he certainly didnt appear to be in the mood for comment after Toronto was shelled by the lowly Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.However, there was no avoiding the phalanx of cameramen and scribes parked near his dressing room stall at Air Canada Centre after Mondays practice. The issue of his availability was the topic du jour after a beat reporter sent out a tweet Saturday saying that Kessel declined to talk after the 6-2 loss and angrily stormed off.As he approached the large scrum Monday, Kessel joked about what the line of questioning might be. He then put on a blue hat, smiled and took questions for about five minutes.You know I dont speak all the time, he said. You guys know that. Obviously you dont want to lose like that to anyone in this league. Weve lost two in a row. It was a tough game.Jonas Siegel, a Leafs beat reporter for TSN Radio and TSN.ca, sent out a second tweet from his verified account describing his interaction with the Toronto forward.Kessels exact reaction when asked for comment: Get away from me, Siegel tweeted.Kessel told reporters Monday that he doesnt think there is a need for daily comment.I think Ive talked a decent amount, he said. Ill come out sometimes to talk, but sometimes I dont. But I dont have too much to say about losses like that.NHL players are generally expected to make themselves available for media interviews and requests are usually accommodated. Head coach Randy Carlyle made it clear what the teams expectations are on the issue.Its the players responsibility and its our organizations responsibility to make sure everybody is available to the media, Carlyle said. Its spelled out in training camp, its spelled out on a day-to-day basis that when youre called upon, youre to be made available, simple as that. Thats what we support.Leafs forward Nazem Kadri said Kessel is quite talkative on the ice and is much different when engaging with teammates.Hes pretty laid back and easy going, Kadri said. Hes an easy guy to talk to, a really nice guy. When hes put on the spot, I think he just shies away a little bit. I think hes starting to get the hang of it.He likes guys he can trust and when he doesnt feel like he can trust anybody, he gets a little bit shy and a little bit timid in that regard. Its really nothing personal.The media can be more demanding in Toronto than some other cities given that its a large, hockey-mad market with four daily newspapers and two all-sports radio stations. Big-name players are often asked for comment even though they sometimes weigh in with stock answers or cliches.Kessel, whos off to a great start with 22 points in 18 games, said he doesnt read the media reports, but added he loves the team, fans, organization and the city.I dont say a whole lot, he said. But I try to leave it on the ice.———Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Authentic Air Jordan Outlet . The Montreal Canadiens goaltender has won three of his four games since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out from the end of the Olympic break until March 15. Cheap Air Jordan From China .J. -- While Martin Brodeur wasnt willing to say he stole one for the New Jersey Devils against the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost everyone else was. http://www.wholesaleairjordan.com/ . Roy says he will know more about Duchenes potential playing status Sunday. Duchene has been out since damaging the MCL in his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29. Hes been skating on his own all week, before joining the team Saturday hours before a pivotal game in a series tied at 2. Cheap Air Jordan For Sale . -- Deshorn Brown scored twice, the first coming 13 seconds into the game, and the Colorado Rapids beat the undermanned Seattle Sounders 5-1 Saturday night. Discount Air Jordan Shoes . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more.SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. "Keep cheering," Butler said Thursday night after the biggest victory of his baseball career. "We hear you. Its working. Make it louder." Joshua Houston hit a clutch two-run single, reliever Cameron Bufford pitched a tense scoreless sixth inning, and Jackie Robinson West Little League held off gritty Philadelphia 6-5 in a matchup of inner-city teams at the Little League World Series. The loss eliminated Philadelphia and prevented star pitcher Mone Davis from getting one last shot to put another stamp on what had become her personal playground. Dont worry about her, though. Philadelphia manager Alex Rice certainly isnt. "The worlds her oyster, right?" an emotional Rice said after the loss. "Mone will figure out her future, and its going to be terrific. Shes going to dictate what it is. Good for her." Davis, just the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series and the only one to win a game on the mound, played first base the first two innings against Chicago, was taken out and re-entered the game at third base in the bottom of the fifth. The Jackie Robinson West team, comprised of all black players, is making its first appearance in 31 years in the Little League World Series. The victory sends the Great Lakes champs into the U.S. title game on Saturday against Las Vegas. Las Vegas, the West champions, beat Philly 8-1 on Wednesday and humbled Chicago 13-2 in four innings in a mercy-rule game last Sunday behind five homers, including a grand slam by Brad Stone and two home runs from Austin Kryszczuk. "It (the lopsided loss) woke us up," Butler said. "The kids have been more focused and todays game showed how focused we were. We had a lot of adversity. They find a way to get it done, and its always a new guy." Bufford walked Scott Bandura to lead off the top of the sixth, putting the tying run at first. He then struck out Jahli Hendricks, induced Jared Sprague-Lott to hit into a fielders choice and walked dangerous Zion Spearman before getting Jack Rice on a fly to right to end it. Philly trailed 6-2 after two innings but clawed back within a run on Tai Cummings long home run to centre leading off the fifth. The grassy hill beyond the outfield fences at Howard J. Lamade Stadium was jammed Wednesday night with 34,128 fans who craned their necks to see every pitch from Davis. With the star right-handder playing the field and not eligible to pitch until Saturday, attendance dipped to 21,119 against Chicago.dddddddddddd The 5-foot-4 Davis and her teammates gave the Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League in Philadelphia an amazing dose of publicity. In her first outing, Davis pitched a two-hit shutout to become the first girl to win a game in the Little League World Series. In splitting her two starts, Davis pitched 8 1-3 innings, allowed eight hits and three earned runs, and struck out 14 with only one walk. She also threw a three-hit shutout to lead Taney to an 8-0 victory over Delaware in the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game. Small wonder that during batting practice Wednesday night on the West Coast the Los Angeles Dodgers streamed the Little League telecast on two giant video boards. The glare of the spotlight on Davis and her teammates had grown exponentially as the Little League World Series unfolded. Television ratings were up 143 per cent Wednesday night from the corresponding game last year and this week she became the first Little Leaguer to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Baseball is trying to lure young African-Americans back to the game, and the opponents Thursday night offered some evidence the strategy might be making inroads. That one inner-city team had to beat another for a spot in the U.S. title game was not lost on Major League Baseball Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred. "With respect to baseball games, we try to take a position of neutrality," Manfred said at Lamade Stadium. "I have to tell you a Philadelphia-Chicago matchup is pretty darn good. Its so wonderful when people turn on their televisions and they see people from very different socio-economic backgrounds in a setting like this. When you have a diverse group like the Philadelphia group, it sends a message that baseballs a wide-open sport." When the two teams finally do return home, they likely will be overwhelmed a little bit more. "Weve always had the goal of baseball in the inner cities, how to get more African-Americans to play baseball," said Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who hung out with the Philly kids and other teams earlier in the day during an appearance for sponsor Subway. "I think it shows its working. I dont think they understand the magnitude of what theyve accomplished. "I think they have a grasp of it, but I dont think theyll really understand it until they get back." ' ' '