PHOENIX - New England Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer spent a good portion of his hour-long media session answering questions in German. Discount NFL Jerseys .Vollmer grew up in Germany, so it makes sense, but it also exemplifies how much of an international event the Super Bowl has become.Quite a few of the 2,000 journalists jammed across the floor of the US Airways Center at Super Bowl Media Day on Tuesday were from foreign outlets, including some of the more outrageous ones who gave the event some international flavour.___GERMAN CONTINGENTThough Germany hasnt quite latched onto American football, theres still plenty of interest in the Super Bowl.More than 30 German journalists travelled to Arizona this week to cover the big game and to provide updates on Vollmer.Interest is getting more and more, said Marc Behrenbeck, a reporter for Sky Sport News in Munich. In Germany, football isnt that big, soccer is huge; football is very tiny compared to (soccer), but its getting more and more popular.Behrenbeck has covered the Super Bowl seven times and connected with fellow German reporters through the years, some of them from Germany, others who relocated to the U.S.The contingent of German reporters spent most of the day around Vollmer, jumping in with questions in German.Actually, its a tiny football family thats getting bigger every year, Behrenbeck said.___VOLLMERS SUPER ROUTEVollmer took an unconventional route to the Super Bowl.Born in Dusseldorf, he grew up swimming and playing basketball, and didnt start playing football until he was 14.After leading his prep school to a pair of national championships, Vollmer played in the Global Junior Championships in San Diego, where he secured a scholarship to the University of Houston.Despite knowing no English when he arrived, Vollmer adapted quickly and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.Now hes making his second Super Bowl appearance.I wouldnt say it (the journey) was bizarre, but it wasnt always easy, Vollmer said. But I wouldnt trade it for anything, either.___PUPPET SHOWInternational reporters tend to be some of the wackiest at Media Day, including a Mexican TV reporter who wore a wedding dress and asked Tom Brady to marry her in 2008.This year session didnt seem to have as many wild stunts, but there were some interesting moments involving the foreign press.One TV team from Azteca Deportes brought along a pair of bug-eyed, bucktoothed hand puppets that helped the reporter ask questions. Two men kneeled to the sides of the reporter and held the puppets up, shouting out apparently-irreverent questions — at least based on the laughter — in Spanish.The puppets did one interview with a German reporter who had fake scars on his face like a zombie and later cornered Seahawks centre Patrick Lewis.I dont know what theyre saying, Lewis said to the reporter after one of the puppets asked him a question.They want to know how big your girlfriend is, the reporter said.Big enough, the 6-foot-1, 311-pound Lewis said with a laugh.Gina Holguin, a model and reporter for a Mexican media company Televisa, danced with Seattles Richard Sherman at the end of his session.___CANADA STRONGCanada will have a pair of players to root for in the Super Bowl for the second straight season: Seahawks tight end Luke Willson and punter Jon Ryan.Willson, who grew up outside Windsor, Ontario, made his way to the NFL after playing at Rice University, where he learned a quick lesson in how big football is in the United States.It was pretty intense, especially coming from Canada, Willson said. It was a very, very different atmosphere. Football is almost like a religion down there, so it was kind of cool in that sense to have that many people care about the game of football.Ryan, of Regina, Saskatchewan, never got to experience football in America until he ended up in the NFL — with Green Bay in 2006 — by way of the CFL and the University of Regina.Growing up in Canada, I never thought Id have the opportunity to play in the NFL, said Ryan, who threw a touchdown pass on a trick play in Seattles comeback win over the Packers in the NFC Championship. Now to have been playing here for nine years, playing in my second Super Bowl is really a dream come true.The Seahawks have one other foreign-born player on its roster: Defensive lineman Jesse Williams, who was born in Brisbane, Australia. He spent the season on injured reserve after injuring his knee during fall camp.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Cheap Jerseys Authentic ., climbed from seventh to fifth spot in womens competition Sunday at the ISU world junior figure skating championships. http://www.authenticcheapjerseys.net/ . The moves were the first punitive steps taken by the Dolphins since a report on the NFLs investigation of the case was released last week. Investigators found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent harassment directed at tackle Jonathan Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. DENVER -- Semyon Varlamov celebrated his new contract with another stellar performance in net. Varlamov had 35 saves, John Mitchell had a goal and an assist and the Colorado Avalanche edged the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Thursday night. Matt Duchene had two assists for Colorado, which survived a flurry at the end to get the victory. Ryan OReilly, Paul Stastny, Nathan MacKinnon and Maxime Talbot also scored. It was quite a day for the 25-year-old Varlamov, who also finalized a five-year extension with Colorado that runs through the 2018-19 season. "It was a big day for us. Im sure its a great day for Varly as well," first-year coach Patrick Roy said. "He certainly deserved that contract. Were very happy its a done deal." The Avalanche acquired Varlamov from Washington in July 2011, and the Russian turned in a pair of inconsistent seasons under former coach Joe Sacco. He has flourished under the tutelage of Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie, and goaltender coach Francois Allaire, improving to 27-9-5 with Thursdays win. "Thank God the right people came to the team during the summer," Varlamov said. "Patrick, and especially Francois Allaire. Those guys helped me a lot. They changed my game." Colorado needed every bit of Varlamovs talent against Minnesota. He helped the Avalanche win the season series 4-0-1 and move nine points ahead of the Wild in the Central Division. Colorado has a firm grasp on third place and the final automatic playoff seed in the division. "It was a big game for us. We have three games in hand and were up (nine) points in the standings," Duchene said. "That puts us well ahead and we just have to keep taking care of business." Zach Parise had two goals and two assists and Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville also scored for Minnesota, which went 9-4-1 in January to get into the thick of the post-season race. The Avalanche used a big second period to help cool off the Wild. Mitchell broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal of the season at 1:43. Stastny scored his 16th of the season on a rebound midway through the period, and Talbot used the stick of Wild centre Kyle Brodziak to make it 4-1 at 15:26. Cheap Jerseys Store. Brodziak had gathered a rebound in front of goalie Darcy Kuemper when Talbot came in from behind and hit the centres stick to put the puck in the net. "We were so good the first two periods," Roy said. "Offensively this is the best Ive seen our team play. We were cycling the puck, moving it quick. We had tons of chances." A minute later, Niklas Backstrom replaced Kuemper, who had 19 saves. "I let him know it wasnt him," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "I did it to try to change the momentum at that point." "Kuemper played a pretty good game even though he got pulled. He made some amazing saves on us," Duchene said. "It could have been 6-, 7-1 if not for him." Backstrom had nine stops the rest of the way, giving the Wild a chance to get back into it. Parises goal at 7:47 of the third made it 4-2. He then assisted on Granlunds goal at 12:51 that made it a one-score game. MacKinnon appeared to seal the win with his 19th of the season at 17:35 but Pominville scored 11 seconds later. Backstrom went off for an extra skater with 1:07 left but the Wild couldnt get the equalizer. "When you get behind the 8-ball like we did, its tough to get back," Pominville said. "They are a good team for a reason." Colorado took a 1-0 lead on OReillys 20th of the season at 4:41 of the first and Parise tied in on the power play 1:35 later. The Avalanche had three power-play chances to break the tie in the first but couldnt capitalize. Brodziak nearly scored a short-handed goal but Varlamov made a save on the odd-man rush. NOTES: Stastny left in the third period with a leg injury and did not return. ... Avalanche RW P.A. Parenteau was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Parenteau played in three games after missing 10 with a sprained left knee. ... Wild D Jared Spurgeon skated with the team Thursday. He has been on injured reserve since Jan. 4 with a foot injury. ' ' '