Branden Dawson to take control of the game

Posted in Wrestling Forums by wxy1123 at 06:26, Oct 17 2014

NEW YORK -- The trade that put Jeff Samardzija on a post-season contender cost him a chance to pitch in his first All-Star game. A day after Samardzija was dealt from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland, a big league-high six Athletics were picked Sunday for the game at Target Field in Minnesota on July 15. That doesnt include Samardzija, selected as a National League All-Star. Major League Baseball said he is ineligible to play because of the league switch. The 29-year-old right-hander, who was 2-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts for the Cubs, won his American League debut Sunday when he allowed one run in seven innings for a 4-2 victory over Toronto. He will be introduced with the NL players before the All-Star game; still to be decided is whether he wears a Cubs or As uniform -- or a generic NL jersey. "I wont get to pitch, which is a bummer, but thats all right," Samardzija said. "Ill just go through whatever ceremonies they have and just jump over to the AL dugout with an NL jersey on and have some fun with the six other dudes we have over there, which is exciting." Oakland, with the best record in the majors, has its most All-Stars since 1975: left-handers Sean Doolittle and Scott Kazmir; catcher Derek Norris; first baseman Brandon Moss; third baseman Josh Donaldson; and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. "Its really cool," As manager Bob Melvin said. "We were hoping for something like this." Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, playing his 20th and final season, was chosen for his 14th All-Star team and will start for the ninth time. He gets reunited with Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano, his former double-play partner in New York. Mariano Rivera, the retiring Yankees reliever, was the centre of attention at last years All-Star game when the Mets hosted in Citi Field. Jeter could be in the spotlight this year. "All-Star game was in New York last year. Its a little bit different," Jeter said. "I dont go into it with any expectations. Just trying to enjoy myself and have fun with whoever is here." Among the big names bypassed entirely were slugger David Ortiz and closer Koji Uehara from World Series champion Boston, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, and Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett. "I had a chance to talk with David, and he felt the four days of rest might be more advantageous to him," said Boston skipper John Farrell, the AL manager. "He was a pro about it. He spoke his mind and had a lot of input in the decisions." Also elected by fans to start for the AL were Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Donaldson, and outfielders Jose Bautista of Toronto, Adam Jones of Baltimore and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimores Matt Wieters, sidelined by season-ending elbow surgery on June 17, was elected to start at catcher and will be replaced by Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Orioles bopper Nelson Cruz, tied for the major league home run lead with 27, was voted in by fans at designated hitter after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseballs drug agreement. The big year could lead to a large contract for Cruz, who left Texas for an $8 million, one-year deal with Baltimore. "Its always a blessing when you make the All-Star game," Cruz said. "Im happy because I know I made the right decision." Elected to the NL starting lineup were Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Milwaukee third baseman Aramis Ramirez and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina along with outfielders Carlos Gomez of Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh and Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, a pair of rookies off to superlative starts, were among 26 first-time All-Stars and 24 foreign-born players. Tanaka and setup man Dellin Betances are the first Yankees rookie pitchers to be picked as All-Stars since Spec Shea in 1947. Surprise selections included Pittsburgh utilityman Josh Harrison and left-hander Tony Watson, and St. Louis reliever Pat Neshek, who is from Minnesota and began his career with the hometown Twins. "I shook head my head for a while. I couldnt believe it," Neshek said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Its awesome to be rewarded like that and to get the chance to play against the best." Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez made his fifth All-Star team, his first since 2009. Bautista, at 5.68 million, received the most votes for the second time in four years. Tulowitzki topped the NL at 5.35 million. Other players omitted despite strong credentials were Cincinnati pitcher Alfredo Simon, Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager and San Diego closer Huston Street, who had converted 23 consecutive save chances before allowing a tying home run in the ninth Saturday. Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Toronto outfielder Melky Cabrera, who like Cruz served lengthy drug-related suspensions, also were left out. The candidates in online voting for the final AL spot are all pitchers: Houstons Dallas Keuchel, Clevelands Corey Kluber, Los Angeles Garrett Richards, Detroits Rick Porcello and Chicagos Chris Sale. Vying for the NL spot are Miami third baseman Casey McGehee, Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. ------ AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen and AP freelance writers Mike Cranston, Brian Hall, Michael Wagaman and Jeff Melnick contributed to this report. cheap nfl jerseys . The Nets continued their winning ways Tuesday by sweeping a back-to-back set for the first time this season, beating the Orlando Magic 101-90 a night after routing the crosstown rival New York Knicks. jerseys nfl cheap . The Missouri Tigers Defensive End and SEC Defensive player of the year is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft in May. http://www.jerseysnflcheapchina.com/. -- The Royals expect to place left-hander Bruce Chen on the disabled list with a swollen disc in his back that has already caused the club to juggle its starting rotation. cheap jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. wholesale jerseys .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - After toppling top-seeded Virginia on Friday, the Michigan State Spartans will face the upstart Connecticut Huskies in the East Region Final at New Yorks famed Madison Square Garden. Watch Michigan State vs. UConn live on TSN with coverage starting at 1pm et/10am pt. Led by American Athletic Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn has been playing above the No. 7 seed it earned in this tournament. The Huskies knocked off third-seeded Iowa State (81-76) in the Sweet 16, following a 77-65 upset of second-seeded Villanova. They are now attempting to reach the Final Four just three years removed from their surprising run to the 2011 national title. The Sweet 16 battle between Michigan State and Virginia was as advertised, with the fourth-seeded Spartans surviving with a 61-59 victory. The win was the sixth straight for Tom Izzos club, which includes their run to the Big Ten Tournament title. The Spartans are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010, which was also the last time they made it to the Final Four. The 2010 trip to the Final Four was the second straight for MSU, which actually defeated UConn (82-73) in the 2009 semifinals before falling to North Carolina in the national title tilt. These teams have met twice since, with UConn winning both times to pull ahead in the all-time series, 3-2. The winner this time will take on No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four next Saturday. UConn dominated in the first half and then held on in the second to pull off the upset of Iowa State. The Huskies led by as many as 17 points and shot 52 percent for the game, while holding scoring edges from both 3-point range (27-1 and the free-throw line (20-6). DDeAndre Daniels (13 ppg, 5.dddddddddddd rpg) came up big in the win, controlling the paint with a team-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Daniels is clearly the most productive performer in close to the basket for the Huskies, who rely more on their talented backcourt. At the forefront of that game plan is Napier. The 6-foot-1 guard, who was a freshman on the 2011 national title squad, leads this years team in scoring (17.9 ppg), assists (4.9 apg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg). Ryan Boatright (12.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Niels Giffey (8.4 ppg, .514 3P percentage) provide depth and offensive punch out on the perimeter. After trading leads during the first 38 minutes of action on Friday, Michigan State was tied with Virginia at 51-51 with 1:49 to play. The Spartans then got a 3-pointer from Adreian Payne and a dunk from Branden Dawson to take control of the game, as they held on by hitting 5-of-7 free-throws in the final minute. Dawson compiled 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Payne had 16 points in the win over Virginia, as the frontcourt tandem powered Michigan State not just in that key stretch, but the entire game. The rest of the team managed only 23 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Leading the charge offensively is not a rare occurrence for Payne (16.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is second on the roster in scoring, but getting such a productive effort from Dawson (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) was a surprise, considering he is more of a complementary scorer. To defeat the Huskies, the Spartans will need better play from their key backcourt contributors -- Gary Harris (16.6 ppg) and Keith Appling (11.4 ppg, 4.5 apg), who combined for a mere eight points against Virginia. ' ' '