In 2002, Carlton won their first wooden spoon in 105 years of VFL/AFL footy.In 1999, Collingwood claimed just the second in their illustrious history.And this year, it could be a fate that befalls Essendon for the first time since 1933.Sundays clash between Essendon and Brisbane shapes as the 2016 wooden spoon decider.The Bombers and Lions have been far and away the worst sides this season.Each has a sole win in 16 matches.Essendons triumph came in round two against Melbourne while Brisbanes four points were earned against Gold Coast two weeks later.While the Bombers form has improved to passable, the Lions are plumbing new lows.Both are on club-record losing streaks.But if an Essendon side missing 12 key players due to season-long doping bans have circled this fixture as one to get up for, they arent saying so.Young forward Joe Daniher said the spoon wasnt at the forefront of Essendon minds.Were trying to build a brand of footy thats going to hold up for a long period of time, he told reporters on Monday.Not just the remainder of this year or next.We want something thats going to be sustained. Its really important that we start building that now and I think were on the right path in doing so.The problem for the Dons is that very rarely do bottom sides successfully make the jump to winning flags.The AFL rewards the worst team in the competition with the No.1 draft pick but a look at the history books shows the importance of avoiding last place.Only one side in the last 40 years has turned last place into a premiership within a decade of bottoming out.That was Brisbane in 1998, a season when the Lions still managed five wins and a draw - the best return of a last-placed side over that same 40-year stretch.If theres good news for Essendon it could come from the Brisbane camp.Key defender Daniel McStay has been ruled out for the season with a broken ankle, Stefan Martin could be laid out with a rib complaint and coach Justin Leppitsch talked of a painful pathway ahead for Lions fans.The second-year coach suggested the competition was rigged against his side after a disheartening defeat to GWS Giants.They were just too good, he said.The Giants had the benefit of a lot of really high talented first-round picks and an extended salary cap.Were not afforded those luxuries.Everyone knows about our debt issues. No one counts the debt that the two new clubs put into the competition but were reminded of (ours) every day. Vans Shoes Clearance . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Cheap Vans Shoes Shop . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. http://www.vansoutletstore.com/ . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Cheap Vans Shoes For Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Wholesale Vans Shoes Online .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Pitching in a tight game helped Jered Weaver concentrate even more than he usually does. Weaver outdueled Mike Pelfrey with eight innings of two-hit ball after Albert Pujols drove in a first-inning run, and the Los Angeles Angels beat Minnesota 1-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep by the Twins. "With the score 1-0, you try to focus a little more on executing pitches because you know that one bad pitch can hurt you -- especially in a day game with the wind blowing out," Weaver said. "You have to be a little more focused in on what you have to do. Obviously, youre going to pitch a little differently in a 1-0 game than you are in a 4-0 game." Weaver (5-5) struck out nine and walked one in his first home start against the Twins since his no-hitter on May 2, 2012. The three-time All-Star retired 19 consecutive batters during one stretch -- just four days after teammate C.J. Wilson set down 18 in a row against Oakland. "After losing the first two games to those guys, I wanted to come out and try to limit runs," Weaver said. "The game plan going into every game is to try to keep them off-balance. My fastball command was good, I was able to mix in the changeup later, and the defence took care of the rest. Pelfrey threw a great game, and one run was the difference." Weaver improved to 8-2 lifetime against the Twins with a 3.28 ERA. Doug Bernier, a 33-year-old rookie who got his first major league hit and RBI on Monday, singled on an 0-2 pitch with one out in the first. The Twins didnt get another runner until Ryan Doumit walked on four pitches with two out in the seventh, and rookie Aaron Hicks singled with two out in the eighth. "He was the No. 1 they needed him to be," Minnesotas Justin Morneau said. "We came in here winning the first two, and he beat us. We got his pitch count up a little bit early, but he settled in like most of the number ones do. He changed speeds really well and got ahead in the count. And when he works ahead, he makes that off-speed stuff more effective." Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his 25th save in 27 chances, less than 24 hours after giving up five runs including a grand slam by Chris Herrmann in the 10th inning of the Angels 10-3 loss. The right-hander ended it by striking out Herrmann with runners at the corners. "Thats why I like to be a reliever. I dont like to wait like five days to pitch," Frieri said. "I want to pitch every day. I like to get the chance the next day. If I didnt do good today, I just want my (manager) to give me another chance to prove myself." Frieri walked his first batter, then hit Bernier with an 0-2 pitch before Morneau came up and hit a not-too-high popup between the mound and first base. Frieri let it drop and started a double play by throwwing to first base.dddddddddddd. Bernier ended up in a rundown and was tagged out by first baseman Mark Trumbo as Clete Thomas advanced to third. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire came out and complained to plate umpire Mike Muchlinski that is should have been ruled an infield fly. "You never expect that popup, but youve got to be ready for anything," Frieri said. "When I saw the ball coming, I heard (shortstop Erick) Aybar screaming: Drop it! Drop it! My reaction was to go to first base. Aybar and (Alberto) Callaspo were like: Next time, youve got to go to third." Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton missed his third straight game because of right ankle stiffness. Pelfrey (4-8) pitched six innings and allowed five hits, including Pujols run-scoring single in the first. "He really deserved to win that game today, but we didnt score any runs for him," Morneau said. "These last few starts hes really been throwing the ball well after coming off the DL. Today he had a little more velocity. I think that maybe that little bit of rest was what he needed. Its something he can build on and get some confidence out of that." The right-hander is 1-5 with a 4.64 ERA in his last 12 starts. His only victory during that stretch was July 6, when he pitched six innings of 3-hit ball in a 6-0 win at Toronto. "Those first two months were brutal months," Pelfrey said. "But I feel like Im back to what I used to be. So its exciting for me. And hopefully Ill continue to get better. My fastball was really good today. The velocity was there and the movement was there. I was locating on both sides of the plate. If you go in to righties, then it opens it up to go away." NOTES: With C Joe Mauer back in Minnesota spending quality time with wife Maddie and newborn twin daughters Emily and Maren, the Twins recalled Drew Butera from Triple-A Rochester after placing Mauer on the paternity list. Butera, who spent the previous three years as Mauers backup, had 79 at-bats with the Red Wings after recovering from a broken left hand. ... Former Minnesota SS and current TV analyst Roy Smalley recalled Wednesday that when he played for the club, owner Calvin Griffith offered a $10,000 bonus to any Twins player whose wife gave birth to twins. Smalleys twin daughters Catherine and Laura-Leigh were born in 1984, just before he began his third spring training with the Yankees. ... Weaver is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA in his last four starts, lowering his overall ERA to 2.98. ... Angels CF Mike Trout was 0 for 4, ending his career-best hitting streak at 15 games. ... The Angels signed 38 of their 39 draft picks this year, the best percentage in the franchises 53-year history. The only exception was RHP Blake Goins, a 12th-round selection who decided to attend the University of Texas. ' ' '