of the shootout as the Stars inched closer to a playoff spot with

VANCOUVER -- Martin Rennies tenure as head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps can be summed up in one word -- inconsistent. It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. Vancouver recovered in time to squeak into the 2012 playoffs -- a first for a Canadian MLS team -- but a 1-7-2 slide midway through the 2013 campaign was too much to overcome and cost Rennie his job. "Ultimately, the rationale behind the decision is the inconsistency," Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi said at a B.C. Place Stadium press conference announcing the move. "If we look back over the two years, we had two relatively good starts, and in each of those seasons we seemed to tail off. "In the first year we were able to survive that and make the playoffs, but in the second year we werent able to do so." Lenarduzzi said the Whitecaps have a "football committee" that includes himself, two of the teams owners and two other executives, which determines the fate of the teams coach, among other duties. He danced around the question when asked if the decision to axe Rennie was unanimous, saying only that they had come to "a consensus" that it was the right move. Rennie, who compiled a 24-25-19 record in two seasons with Vancouver, watched the Whitecaps 2013 playoff hopes come to end when they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City, Colo on Oct. 19. Vancouver (13-12-9) rebounded to beat Colorado 3-0 in Sundays regular-season finale, with star Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo burying a hat trick to win the MLS Golden Boot as the leagues top scorer. But it wasnt enough to save Rennie, who thanked the club and its fans in a statement released on the Whitecaps official website. "In life we have different roles at different times, and although there is great satisfaction in taking a project to fruition there is also a strong sense of accomplishment from turning a team around and giving it a solid foundation for future success," the statement read. "It has been an absolute privilege to have played the role that I have for the Whitecaps and I look forward to watching the organization move forward from strength to strength. " Lenarduzzi said the search for a new coach will begin immediately, and whoever gets the job will be the Whitecaps fourth in four MLS seasons. The 38-year-old Rennies fate was probably sealed when Vancouver stumbled midway through the season, but the Scot also failed to win the Canadian championship in his two years at the Whitecaps helm, which would have qualified the club for the CONCACAF Champions League. "Theres a fine line between success and, what would be deemed to be failure, and we just need to give ourselves the best chance possible to be on the right side of that," said Lenarduzzi. "Over the last two years we felt that thats perhaps the biggest problem weve had. "Making the playoffs, winning the (Canadian championship) are benchmarks for us. We havent been able to achieve that." There were also questions about Rennies squad selection, tactics and the development of some of Vancouvers younger players. "Theres always going to be grumblings of guys that arent happy based on whether they play or whether they think that the managers way of coaching are valid," said team captain Jay DeMerit, who does not yet have a contract for 2014. "No manager is going to keep 30 guys happy." The Whitecaps did win this years Cascadia Cup -- their only title since joining MLS -- which is a trophy awarded to the top team in head-to-head competition with the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. Vancouver actually finished with more wins and points this season than it did in 2012 and had just one fewer victory than Portland, which finished as the No. 1 playoff seed in the ultra-tight Western Conference. Vancouver, which wound up seventh, also tied for fourth in MLS with 53 goals scored. Rennie joined the Whitecaps on Nov. 1, 2011, from the Carolina RailHawks of the second-tier United Soccer Leagues First Division after a disastrous first season in MLS that saw Vancouver go through two coaches and finish tied for last overall. Prior to Sundays victory over Colorado, Rennie seemed to be lobbying to keep his job. "If playoffs was the only barometer, then nine coaches would be gone every single year and that would leave MLS and every team in complete disarray," Rennie told reporters last week. "You cant do it that way. You have to build an organization over time. "When I came here this team was the worst team in MLS, it was in disarray and it was almost irrelevant in Vancouver. Now its a very relevant team and its poised to be a great team, so Im very pleased with how thats gone." Vancouvers run to the 2012 MLS playoffs was brief, with the Whitecaps exiting in the first round at the hands of the eventual-champion Los Angeles Galaxy. DeMerit said although Rennie, who was trumpeted as a young and innovative mind when he arrived in Vancouver, succeeded in helping to build the clubs foundation, a veteran coach might be whats needed to take the Whitecaps to the next level. "At key times, experience does matter, and how you progress is mainly calling on those experiences," said DeMerit. "I think maybe in key moments, that was part of Martins learning experience and hell be a better coach for that. "You want a coach thats been there. You want a coach with experience and you want a coach that can lead you in the right direction when it really matters." Cheap Joe Crede Jersey .ca. 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He felt a pop just before crumpling to the ground after running out a groundball in the first inning of Saturdays game. It could have been worse. “Its going to take maybe two weeks,” said Encarnacion. “It depends how Im going to be and how Im going to be day after day, feeling better or not. Cheap Frank Thomas Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.When the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars stars last met, the attention shifted from hockey to a decidedly more serious subject in a matter of seconds. On Wednesday, the two teams will get together in Dallas to play the game that was postponed due to a scary incident involving Stars forward Rich Peverley. The initial matchup on March 10 was stopped with 6:23 played in the opening period after Peverley collapsed on the Dallas bench and suffered what was later called a cardiac episode. Peverley spent a few days in the hospital and eventually underwent a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat, but he wont play again this season. Columbus was ahead 1-0 at the time of Peverleys collapse, and although tonights game will be a full 60-minute contest, the Blue Jackets will keep that lead. Although the Blue Jackets and Stars play in different conferences, Wednesdays game is big for both teams. In fact, Columbus can clinch a playoff spot for only the second time in franchise history with a win tonight. The Blue Jackets currently hold the last of two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. With 89 points, Columbus is four ahead of Washington and five in front on New Jersey with three games left for all three teams. The Capitals and Devils are idle on Wednesday. Columbus also is one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the Easts first wild card berth. The Red Wings also have three games remaining and play in Pittsburgh tonight. The Blue Jackets only trip to the postseason came in 2009 when they were swept out of the first round by Detroit. The Stars cant clinch on Wednesday, but they can move four points ahead of Phoenix for the last wild card spot in the West. Dallas has 89 points to give the club two more than the Coyotes, who are idle tonight. Both clubs have three games left and will face each other on the final day of the regular season, as they are set to meet Sunday in Phoenix. The Blue Jackets have won two straight and three of their last four games and are coming off Tuesdays overtime win against the visiting Coyotes. Ryan Johansens goal 3:33 into ovvertime lifted Columbus to the 4-3 win over Phoenix.dddddddddddd Johansen handled a loose puck near center ice, skated in along the left side and fired a wrist shot that beat Thomas Greiss top-shelf on his glove side. "(Johansens) been a monster for us all year, scoring some big goals," said Columbus Blake Comeau."He thrives in those moments. He wants to be a No. 1 center like he has been for us all year. Youve got to step up and be that guy in key moments, and hes done that this year." Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves for the win and is expected to start again tonight. Tuesdays tilt was the final home game of the regular season for Columbus, which will visit Dallas, Tampa Bay and Florida to wrap up its schedule. The Blue Jackets are 19-16-3 as the road team this season. The Stars picked up their second victory in three games and also won for the fifth time in seven outings with Tuesdays shootout win over visiting Nashville. Tyler Seguin scored the winner in the fourth round of the shootout as the Stars inched closer to a playoff spot with the 3-2 win at American Airlines Center. "We just focused on what we could do," said Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff. "The schedule is demanding and it gets a little bit worse tomorrow. Im a little concerned that our energy was good early and the energy began just slipping away." Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski scored in regulation for the Stars, while Kari Lehtonen stopped 27 shots. Dallas is 22-10-7 as the host this season and is playing the second part of a three-game homestand on Wednesday. The Stars will welcome St. Louis on Friday before Sundays meeting with the Coyotes. Columbus has won two straight and three of the last four meetings in this series overall and has taken two straight in Big D. Lehtonen could get the call again in net for Dallas. He is 5-5-1 with a 1.91 goals against average and .936 save percentage in his career against Columbus. Bobrovsky is 5-0-1 with a 1.96 GAA and .937 save percentage in six lifetime meetings with the Stars. ' ' '