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Geregistreerd op: 11 Apr 2017
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| ANAHEIM – Colby Rasmus was saying the right things when asked about his new lot in life. Cam Atkinson Blue Jackets Jersey . Hes a platoon player now. Once the starting centerfielder, hell share duties with Darin Mastroianni for the time being. "I guess its different than Ive been in before as far as being platooned," said Rasmus. "Im just going to look at it as theyre trying to help me in some weird kind of way." Rasmus is struggling, of that there is no question. With his first taste of free agency only months away, hes suffered through a .214/.267/.458, his .725 OPS propped up by his slugging percentage, which is strong because of Rasmus 41 hits, 12 have been home runs and 11 have been doubles. His splits would, on the surface, suggest a platoon makes sense. Rasmus has a .754 OPS with 10 home runs against right-handed pitchers; a .619 OPS with two home runs against left-handers. Manager John Gibbons has decided that involving one of the clubs latest of many waiver claims, Darin Mastroianni, in the centerfield mix is right for the team. "We want him to start hitting right-handers too," said Gibbons. "Were scrambling for offence right now and we think thats the best chance. Hes not hitting any lefties so give Mastro a shot at it." This comes at an interesting time. Edwin Encarnacion is on the disabled list with a right quadriceps strain. Brett Lawrie is on the disabled list with a fractured right index finger. Jose Bautista is playing despite hamstring tightness. Adam Lind is playing as he recovers from a bone bruise in his right foot. It seems anyone who is anyone is fighting an ailment to some degree. Rasmus should be part of the solution but hes going to have to break out of his funk in order to get the chance. "Its not going like I want it to, obviously," said Rasmus. "Everyday in this game is a fight no matter if youre doing good or doing bad. Right now its not going that great for me. At the plate, theyre pitching me well and theyre not playing into my strengths, which is their job." In the fifth inning of Mondays 5-2 loss to the Angels, the score was 2-2 at the time, Los Angeles Josh Hamilton hit a lazy fly ball to Rasmus in centerfield. The bases were loaded and Kole Calhoun tagged from third. Rasmus caught the ball flatfooted rather than circling it and setting up for the throw home. His throw was offline, Calhoun scored easily and the Jays trailed the rest of the way. Two innings later, with the score 5-2 Angels in the seventh, Mastroianni pinch hit for Rasmus with left-handed Angels reliever Joe Thatcher on the mound. Gibbons made the move knowing right-hander Jason Grilli was ready. Grilli struck out Mastroianni looking. While Gibbons said he wasnt punishing Rasmus for the defensive miscue, he didnt offer Rasmus a ringing endorsement. "Well, you knew they had us either way," said Gibbons of the matchups. "So they forced our hand. They got us any way we want to go there." Its a little late to call this the beginning of the end of Rasmus time in Toronto, but the club appears poised to go in a different direction next season. Rasmus will seek out a contract big on term and dollar and knows he needs a strong finish to improve his chances of securing one. "Thats not really my main concern," said Rasmus. "My main concern is to get back to playing, not necessarily trying to prove anything or prove to anybody that Ive got to do anything; just to come in, do what Ive got to do, play baseball, have fun, enjoy my family and that will be it. "Im not going to let whatevers going on put more stress on me," he said. "Im just going to go out there and play. Whenever they want me to play, Ill play." Pierre-Luc Dubois Blue Jackets Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. William Karlsson Blue Jackets Jersey . His second visit, not so much. Roark (7-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings in a 7-2 setback in front of several friends and family members, as the Cubs snapped his personal streak of four consecutive victories on Friday. http://www.bluejacketshockeystore.us/David-Clarkson-Jersey/ . According to a report from ESPN, sources said Manuels college coach Jimbo Fisher told teams he didnt think Manuel had the tools to be an NFL starter.TORONTO - Its been 13 years since the Raptors played in their last and only Game 7, by all accounts the biggest game in franchise history to this point. Philadelphia-native Kyle Lowry remembers it well. "Hell of a game," recalled Lowry, who was a 15-year-old high schooler when he watched the epic battle between Vince Carter and Allen Iverson, culminating in Carters missed jumper and Torontos Game 7 loss in 2001. "I was a fan back then, of the other team. But it was a great game, a great game." A year earlier, DeMar DeRozan - 10 at the time, growing up in Southern Los Angeles - watched his favourite team, the Lakers, overcome a 15-point deficit to knock off the Trailblazers in the deciding game of the 2000 Conference Finals. To this day, it is still his most memorable Game 7 moment. "I remember watching it," said the Raptors all-star guard. "Even then I remember saying, I wish I was playing in a moment like that, because it just seemed fun, especially when youre doing something you love to do. Thats the highest level of basketball you could play in, man." On Sunday afternoon theyll have the opportunity to write their own story when Toronto hosts the Brooklyn Nets in the finale of their opening-round series. You can catch all of the action live on TSN, TSN GO and TSN Radio 1050 with pre-game coverage kicking off at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt with Rod Black and Leo Rautins on TSN and with Jim Tatti, Duane Watson, Gareth Wheeler and Josh Lewenberg on a special two-hour edition of Countdown to Tip-off at 11:00 AM on TSN 1050. Tatti, Watson, Wheeler and Lewenberg will return with an extended post-game show following the game. TSN.cas coverage includes in-game highlights and live streaming of the fan festivities at Maple Leaf Square during the game as well as the post-game news conferences. "Honestly, this is what you live for, man," said DeRozan, the Raptors leading scorer, averaging 24.8 points in his first career playoff series. "To play and be in moments like this, because they last forever. Memories like that are going to last way after Im finished playing so youve definitely got to take advantage of it and understand youve got to go out there and play youre A-game." The Raptors, up 3-2 going into Game 6, failed to close out the series in Brooklyn Friday after the Nets got off to a commanding start, earning a wire-to-wire 97-83 win in the face of elimination. The two teams have gone blow for blow all season long, splitting their 10 meetings. In 40 quarters, 480 minutes, the Raptors have scored just one point more than the opposing Nets. Now, itll come down to one final game, four quarters, 48 minutes between two evenly matched foes with very different backstories. Toronto players have made just seven appearances in Game 7s, losing all seven, all of them on the road. Meanwhile, the Nets have 27 games of experience in this situation. Paul Pierce alone has played in more Game 7s than the Raptors roster. Loowry, the only Raptors starter to play in a Game 7, and his Houston Rockets were dismantled in the Western Conference Semifinals, losing to the Lakers by 19 points in 2009. Columbus Blue Jackets Hoodie. "We got the s--- beat out of us," he said of his lone Game 7 experience. Greivis Vasquez, a rookie with the Grizzlies in 2011, lost by 15 in Oklahoma City during the final game of the semis. Chuck Hayes and John Salmons both have a couple Game 7 defeats on their resume, Tyler Hansbrough has one. To say they have something to prove is probably an understatement. "This game will go down in memory or in history," said the veteran Hayes. "It could be one of your great performances, a so-so performance but people will always remember a Game 7. So how do you want to be remembered?" The Nets, on the other hand, were built for this moment. They are the most expensive NBA team ever assembled, a roster loaded with perennial all-stars and future hall of famers. As such, the pressure is on them to deliver. "We aint got no 100 million, whatever payroll they got," said DeRozan. "Hey, thats all on them. We understand what we have to do and were going to go out there wanting it. At the end of the day they have more to lose than us." The spotlight is fixated on them and they know it. After guaranteeing a victory ahead of Game 6, Nets forward Andray Blatche had no problem doubling down. "We guarantee it," Blatche said after Fridays win. "Were gonna go there, take care of business and go to Miami." Although the Raptors have carried themselves with a quiet confidence throughout the series, refusing to get caught up in an extra curricular war of words, they did not take kindly to Blatches pre-game acceptance speech. "I dont know who does he think he is," said Vasquez, asked about Blatches comments after Saturday afternoon practice at the Air Canada Centre. "Hes not [Kevin Garnett] or Paul Pierce or Jason Kidd. Were not going to listen to his nonsense. He gotta earn that, and he hasnt yet." "I dont care what he said," DeRozan added. "He can say what he wants, honestly. He can go out there and say hes going to hit the lottery tomorrow, I could give a hell." That animosity - natural in any long playoff series - has been building for over two weeks and will come to a head Sunday. All season long, the Raptors and their mix of youth and discarded veterans have been an unlikely success story. On Sunday theyll all have a couple things in common. From one end of the bench to the other, theyll all be playing the most important game of the careers, looking to accomplish something none of them have before, striving to move on and continue to defy the odds. "These are lifetime moments," Lowry said. "Game 7 is Game 7, no matter what round its in, its Game 7. Its 3-3, win or go home. Either youre going to the Bahamas or youre going to the second round." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' |
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