SEATTLE - When Richard Sherman gave Michael Crabtree a pat on the backside, got shoved in the face and made a choke sign toward the San Francisco bench, he was just getting warmed up. Vans Sk8 Low Sale . Get ready for two more weeks of the unfiltered Sherman with the Seattle Seahawks headed to the Super Bowl. "I hadnt gotten many opportunities all game and Im happy. Im happy about that," Sherman said. " Im sure if our team knew it was going to come down to a play like that they would be pretty confident going into it." Sherman stole the attention on Sunday, first by deflecting a pass intended for Crabtree in the corner of the end zone with less than a minute left, right into the arms of Seattle teammate Malcolm Smith to seal the Seahawks 23-17 win. But then came the antics and Shermans words that revealed a deep dislike for Crabtree and satisfaction in Seattle knocking off its division rivals to reach the Super Bowl. While Smith was celebrating the interception, Sherman exchanged words with Crabtree, got shoved in the face as a rebuttal then made a choking gesture toward the San Francisco bench that he said was intended for quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Asked about the incident afterward by Fox reporter Erin Andrews, Sherman lit up Twitter with a rant that began: "Im the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, thats the result you gonna get. Dont you ever talk about me!" Sherman didnt back down even after getting some time to collect his thoughts. He apologized to Andrews, then proceeded to call Crabtree "mediocre," making sure to annunciate each syllable of the word. "I was making sure everybody knew Crabtree was a mediocre receiver," Sherman said. "And when you try the best corner in the game with a mediocre receiver thats what happens." It was a fiery, emotional rant from Sherman, who celebrated his first conference title by racing around the field after Russell Wilson took the final knee, then leaping into the first row of seats in the south end zone to celebrate with fans. "I know how passionate he is about the game of football. He said to me before the game its going to come down to us making big plays. Weve got to do it. Somehow weve got to find a way to make big plays," said teammate Doug Baldwin. "(Sherman) has been doing it all season. He is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL. They were trying to stay away from him the whole game. Eventually they were going to have to go his way and eventually they did and they made a mistake." Sherman was rarely targeted by San Francisco, with most of the throws going toward Shermans teammate Byron Maxwell. But when Kaepernick had to make a throw in the final seconds, he decided to challenge the All-Pro. Sherman stayed with Crabtree, leaped and batted the ball into the air with his left hand. That allowed Smith to run underneath and make the interception that clinched the victory. It was San Franciscos third turnover in the fourth quarter. "I knew if I tipped it high enough someone would get there," Sherman said. Sherman then ran over to Crabtree and gave him a pat on the backside, then appeared to extend his arm for a handshake. Instead, Sherman got shoved in the face before picking up his personal foul as his celebration continued. "Sherman made a good play. Thats probably the only play he made all game," Crabtree said. "I aint getting into that, he knows what time it is. When were on the field, he aint doing nothin. Thats one play, you know what Im saying? ... Hes a TV guy, Im not a TV guy. I play ball." Sherman said his issues with Crabtree go back to something that happened during the off-season. He would not go into detail about what happened. "He said something personal face to face," Sherman said. "He knows what he said and he knows Im going to be tough on him the rest of his career." Vans Old Skool Discount .com) - The 2014 Holiday Bowl is the first postseason venture pitting a pair of ranked foes against each other, as No. Vans Sale Store . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-old-skool-clearance.html .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday.PITTSBURGH -- Marlon Byrd likens joining a new team to the first day of school. It took the well-travelled outfielder all of four at-bats to become one of the cool kids on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Byrd celebrated his arrival to the NL Central pennant race with a three-run home run, an epic strikeout, two standing ovations and a curtain call in Pittsburghs 7-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. Quite an entrance for a player who 24 hours earlier was playing for the New York Mets. Thrust abruptly into the middle of a pennant race, Byrd provided the kind of immediate jolt the Pirates were looking for when they traded for the former All-Star along with backup catcher John Buck on Tuesday. "You want to feel accepted," Byrd said. "I felt accepted all day long." Smile plastered on his face from the moment he was introduced as the cleanup hitter, Byrd made an immediate impression, lining into a double play in his first at-bat. He followed that up with a 14-pitch duel against Milwaukees Tom Gorzelanny (3-6), a showdown that ended with Byrd flailing at strike three before being serenaded with a roar on his way back to the dugout. "That was amazing," Byrd said. "I was upset with myself that I didnt finish the at-bat but to hear the fans cheering, that was a beautiful thing." No matter. Byrd repaid the favour and then some in the seventh, drilling a fastball from Milwaukee reliever Burke Badenhop into the bushes in centre field for his 22nd home run of the season. The 35-year-old sprinted around the bases and was so lost in the moment he needed Pittsburgh ace A.J. Burnett to tell him to head back to the top step so he could tip his cap. "Coming in I was so excited," Byrd said. "It was Hey, get back out there." Byrds flair for the dramatic completed a night Pittsburgh (77-55) moved within five victories of the franchises first winning season in a generation. Josh Harrison went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen and Gaby Sanchez added two hits apiece. Charlie Morton (6-3) scattered five hits over 6 2-3 innings, walking three and striking out two to pick up his first career victory over the Brewers. Not that Morton noticed. The right-hander called his futility against Milwaukee "needless information" because it has little bearing on the future. "I think its something people like to talk about because theres been some consistency in that regard but really what the team is doing really well is not thinking about yesterday or two weeks ago, its the game today," Mortton said. Vans Slip On Sale. "If its the Brewers, its the Brewers, so be it. This is a different year anyway." Gorzelanny yielded four runs on nine hits in 5 1-3 innings, walking one and striking out five. Carlos Gomez had two of Milwaukees seven hits but the Brewers offered little resistance against Mortons steady dose of sinkers. "Offensively, we hit a few balls that could have got something going but on the whole we just didnt do too much," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. The Pirates did plenty, with their new slugger providing the finishing touch. Gorzelanny, who spent five seasons with the Pirates from 2005-09, can see Byrds presence having a positive influence in the clubhouse. "Hes a good piece that they got," Gorzelanny said. "Hes a smart player. He plays the game the right way, he plays it hard. Having a ballplayer like this, who is always a tough out, is going to make their lineup better." The homer was more celebratory than critical after Morton handcuffed the Brewers to end years of futility against Pittsburghs biggest nemesis. Milwaukee has won more than 70 per cent of its games against Pittsburgh since 2007 and came in 4-0 against Morton. That run of dominance is now over. Morton, still finding his way back from Tommy John surgery, dominated after some early trouble. The Brewers put four runners on base in the first inning but couldnt score and Morton took care of matters from there. He retired nine straight at one point and would have worked deeper if not for a rare mental mistake by catcher Russell Martin. Leading by four in the seventh, Martin tried to pick Yuniesky Betancourt off first. The ball sailed into right field, allowing Scooter Gennett to score. Byrds long ball restored order and the Pirates exhaled while clinching the season series against the Brewers for the first time since 2006. NOTES: Pirates LHP Wandy Rodriguez continues to deal with left forearm inflammation but will not require surgery. Rodriguez, who has been on the disabled list since May, was evaluated by Dr. James Andrews in Florida on Tuesday after experiencing discomfort during a throwing session. Rodriguez will resume throwing later this week ... Brewers prospect Johnny Hellweg was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year. Hellweg is 11-5 with a 3.16 ERA for Triple-A Nashville. The right-hander, who is 0-3 with a 10.97 in three starts with Milwaukee this season, will be recalled to the majors next month ... The series concludes on Thursday when Pittsburghs Gerrit Cole 6-6, 3.81 ERA) faces Milwaukees Yovani Gallardo (9-9, 4.61). ' ' '