KITZBUEHEL, Austria -- Defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher posted the fastest time in the first run of a World Cup slalom in heavy snow Friday. The Austrian opened the race in 56.92 seconds. Felix Neureuther of Germany was 0.38 behind to become the only racer within a second of the lead. Luca Aerni of Switzerland, who started 27th, finished 1.36 behind in third, closely followed by Fritz Dopfer of Germany and Alexis Pinturault of France, who won the slalom in Wengen last week. "Visibilty was obviously bad," said Hirscher, who wiped his goggles immediately after crossing the finish line. Michael Janyk of Whistler, B.C., was the top Canadian in 17th place. Mario Matt of Austria skied out in the first run, which means Hirscher will remain in the lead of the slalom standings regardless the outcome of the second run. Hirscher is aiming to become the first slalom skier to win back-to-back crystal globes since Thomas Sykora in 1997 and 98. Its the final slalom before nations have to name their Alpine skiing teams for the Sochi Olympics. After days of mild weather, course workers salted the piste in order to harden up the surface, but the fresh snow made for difficult conditions. Furthermore, the unusual placing of some gates by Croatian coach Ante Kostelic made racing even harder. "On such a tough course the field gets torn apart," Hirscher said. Kostelic, the father of former overall champions Ivica and Janica, has made a name for setting challenging courses. A year ago in Kitzbuehel, the jury rejected a course set by Kostelic, deeming it as "unskiable." The course wasnt that extraordinary this time, though Neureuther said it was "by far the most difficult slalom in Kitzbuehel I have ever done." "Visibility is brutal, the course setting is extreme, and the piste is bad," the German said. "Its extreme but we are the best ski racers so we have to adapt to these conditions. I managed that quite well in the first run. I think nobody feels really well today." Nolan Kasper of the United States lost a pole when he tried to clean his goggles during the final part of his run. He still completed the final gates and came 3.34 seconds behind in 25th place. "Its definitely tough, its one or two gates in a row that get a lot of splashback," Kasper said. "Its not the snow falling, its the snow from the gate. Thats why I tried to wipe my goggles and dropped my pole. I am probably not going to do that next run." The second run will be held under floodlights later Friday. Jaroslav Halak Jersey .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. Terry OReilly Jersey . "That was a great lift for the staff," Padres manager Bud Black said. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal homered, and Chase Headley drove in three runs, as the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday night. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.info/ . 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Morrow returned to Rogers Centre on Tuesday and made 25 throws from 60 feet before the team took batting practice. It was the latest step in his recovery after suffering a torn tendon sheath in his throwing hand on May 2. "Its not 100 per cent but its not painful," Morrow said. "Its just kind of stiff from not really using it for six weeks. It actually feels better after I throw. It loosens it up and the range of motion gets better. "So its been great. Throwing has been good for the last week." Morrow had been rehabilitating in Arizona, spending up to two hours a day doing grip exercises to slowly strengthen his index finger. "Theres a lot of pinching and a lot of Play-Doh squeezing," he said. "Thats it really." Over the weekend, he took another step and started throwing from 45 feet. While the sessions would barely get his shoulder warm, Morrow understands its all part of the slow, long process of regaining strength and mobility. "It can heal back and thats what were hoping for," he said. "If there was no chance of it doing that, then I would have just had surgery that first week. But theres obviously a good chance of rehabbing it naturally I guess, and avoiding surgery and being healthy and getting it back to where I need it to be." Morrow, whos 1-2 with a 5.dddddddddddd3 earned-run average this season, had his finger completely immobilized for two weeks after the injury. He couldnt lift upper-body weights for about four weeks until he felt comfortable gripping things again. Morrow wore a custom brace on his finger while throwing Tuesday. "Theres no doubt that if (his recovery) continues the way it has been that Ill pitch again this year," he said. "I cant put a date on it. They just put together a calendar for me, which I havent even seen. This is my fifth day throwing so its too early to say." The 29-year-old native of Santa Rosa, Calif., was tabbed to be a key part of the Toronto rotation this season. His potential return could give the first-place Blue Jays a nice boost for the stretch drive. "Thats what Im looking to do is to come in at a really crucial point in the season and be able to pitch the way that I have in the past and contribute and add something to the team," Morrow said. There were hugs and handshakes all around Tuesday afternoon as he caught up with teammates in the clubhouse and dugout before Tuesday nights game against the New York Yankees. "I think it was for my own sanity to come back," Morrow joked. "But yeah, Im to the point where I dont need the hand therapy three times a week anymore, where the rehab is more now throwing and getting back into a regular baseball throwing program routine. "It makes sense to make that transition from doing the small stuff to more of the baseball stuff. So it makes sense to come back." 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