NEW YORK -- With the best record in the NFL at 10-1, the Dallas Cowboys are closing in on a playoff berth.The Cowboys have won a franchise regular-season record 10 games in a row and play for the second consecutive Thursday when they travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings.The Cowboys can clinch a playoff spot in Week 13 with a win of their own and a loss by Washington or with a win of their own and a loss or tie by Tampa Bay.The Cowboys also remained in the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll , which was released Tuesday.Dallas received 11 first-place votes for 383 points from balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL.Dak Prescott did his part in an important Thanksgiving Day win over Washington, but the rookie quarterback masked what could be the teams only problems: a leaky defense that cant rush the quarterback. That could be an important factor down the stretch, Newsdays Bob Glauber said.The Patriots received the other first-place vote and moved up a spot to No. 2 with 369 points.The AFC West controls three of the next four spots.First-place Oakland (9-2) inched up a spot to No. 3 with 363 points after holding off Carolina 35-32.Young Derek Carr has a knack for pulling close games out in the fourth quarter, said Ira Kaufman of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Kansas City (8-3), in second place in the division, jumped two spots to No. 4 after its 30-27 overtime win at Denver on Sunday night. And the Broncos (7-4) fell a spot to No. 6 in the poll.Seattle dropped three spots to No. 5 after its 14-5 loss at Tampa Bay.Despite winning six consecutive games, the Giants slipped a spot to No. 7.Atlanta, which leads the AFC South, moved up a spot to No. 8.Detroit and Washington are tied at No. 9 and surging Miami, which has won six in a row, is at No. 11.Is Ryan Tannehill finally figuring things out? asked Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of the Dolphins quarterback.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Robert Jones Jersey Retro .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Blake Countess Jersey Retro . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/les-dodson-jersey-retro/ . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Stan Olejniczak Jersey Retro . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Donald Payne Jersey Retro . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. * This post contains spoilers. The biggest question lingering from the first episode of Pitch, was how sustainable is a television show like this? In fairness, thats a question most television shows face. I doubt people would have bet that Greys Anatomy would get to a 13th season, and by the way, the scripted program is still finding new material for the team at?Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.Pitch invests in its characters backstories and relationships as a means of augmenting the center story of its lead character, Ginny Baker, who is trying to make it in the big leagues. The result is a rich, full series that provides additional options for character development.In other words, Pitch is deep, yall.Plenty happened in the latest episode, which is aptly titled The Interim, but what really takes center stage is Baker struggling with the added media attention from Ginsanity -- the corny cousin of Linsanity from 2012 -- and how to use (or not to use) her elevated platform. No one can stop talking about her. The media wants her to comment on a sexual assault case in Florida; and a video of the Padres manager, Al, making sexist comments about her surfaces.Through it all, she insists that shes one of the guys and tells her agent, Im a ballplayer, like shes Monica from Love & Basketball yelling at Quincy.Ginny Baker, however, is not just one of the guys, no matter how much she wants to be, and thats not really what this is about anyway. Nestled within the conversations between Baker and her agent, teammate Mike Lawsons rousing pregame speech, and the probable firing of Al (Dan Lauria) is some exploration of identity politics.The Interim quietly asks, what does it really mean to be going through this experience as a woman, like Ginny Baker? What are her responsibilities? What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a captain? Are you still a good man if youre politically incorrect? And what matters more ... intent or impact?The answers to those questions are the beating heart of the show Pitch strives to be. During a set visit in August, executive producer and showrunner Kevin Falls said Pitch was about the human condition. Identity politics are absolutely part of what make up the human experrience, and the series certainly does not shy away from that.ddddddddddddWhile sitting across from real-life late show host Jimmy Kimmel, fictional character Ginny Baker says, It seems like Im making a statement just by existing lately.Thats a loaded statement, and something that is surely relatable to many people watching the show. Baker is caught between a rock and a hard place. She desperately wants to fit in with her teammates and play baseball, but she also is having to navigate a previously unwalked path, all the while attempting to hold on to her precarious situation as a recently called-up pitcher who could be sent down from the majors at any moment.The struggle around identity, however, is not just limited to Baker. Her story is just the most prominent.In an interesting scene, Padres owner Frank Reid (Bob Balaban) discusses manager Als fate with Oscar Arguella (Mark Consuelos), the GM. Reid comments to Arguella that in addition to his getting hired because hes good at his job, he also looks like Spanish Superman.Im Mexican, Arguella responds.A few moments later when Reid tells Arguella he doesnt have him over for dinner because he doesnt get close to his employees, Arguella says, I thought it was because Im Mexican.This is interesting, not only because Reid admits to not being color-blind and implies that he values a perspective of someone who is not a mirror reflection of himself, but also because Arguella has clearly questioned why he hasnt been invited to his boss place for dinner. His own ethnicity is clearly salient to him, and his admission leaves viewers wondering what happened in his life to make him take pause at Reids distance.This is an important and palpable moment at a time when American society struggles with wanting to be color-blind and how to deal with racial and ethnic diversity. This is not unlike the sentiment Ginny is navigating in trying to decide whether her gender matters. Of course it matters, and so does race.What doesnt matter is how much we try to mute pieces of ourselves. They shine through anyway.Its the response that counts. ' ' '