PORTLAND, Ore.
Daeshon
Hall Womens Jersey . -- LaMarcus Aldridge knew when it was his time. The
two-time All-Star went on a personal nine-point rally to pull Portland ahead for
good and the Trail Blazers closed out the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 12-0 run
for a 108-96 victory on Wednesday night. Aldridge finished with 32 points and 18
rebounds for his 22nd double-double of the season. The 6-foot-11 forward also
made his first 3-pointer. "I had missed so many shots early and I looked up and
it was two minutes left and I told Will Barton, Its my time. I stepped up and
just made shots down the stretch," he said. Damian Lillard added 28 points for
the Blazers (29-9), who won their third straight and sit behind only San Antonio
in the Western Conference. Newly acquired forward Luol Deng had 25 points for
the Cavaliers, who were playing the second of a back-to-back after a victory
over the Lakers on Tuesday night. Kyrie Irving added 21 points. Dion Waiters
3-pointer gave the Cavs a 94-93 lead with 3:44 to go. Aldridge made his first
3-pointer of the season to give Portland back the lead, but Anderson Varejaos
tip tied it at 96. Aldridge answered with pair of free throws, a 19-foot jumper
and a layup that made it 102-96. "He knew it was winning time and I just felt
like you could see him with the determination of making a play at the rim,"
coach Terry Stotts said. The Blazers added consecutive 3-pointers from
Wesley Matthews and Lillard for the final margin. Deng, acquired in a trade with
the Chicago Bulls last week in exchange for Andrew Bynum and draft picks,
continues to fit in nicely with the Cavaliers. He had 27 points, matching his
season high, in Clevelands 120-118 victory in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It was the
Cavaliers fourth win on the road this season. Irving went into the game
averaging 21.4 points, identical to Lillard, last seasons NBA Rookie of the
Year. When the Blazers visited Cleveland on Dec. 17, Lillard sank a long
3-pointer at the buzzer and the Blazers came away with a 119-116 victory.
Lillard finished with 36 points, Irving had 25. It looked at first like this
game might come down to which of the talented point guards would have a better
night. In the end, however, Aldridge made the difference -- prompting fans to
once again shower him with "M-V-P!" chants. The Blazers are 19-3 when he has a
double-double. The 3-pointer was Aldridges first after six unsuccessful attempts
this season. "He said he was going to shoot a 3 every game now," Matthews joked.
Aldridge was relatively quiet in the first half, hitting just five of 13 shots
from the floor for 13 points and six rebounds. Waiters hit consecutive baskets
and Tyler Zeller added a layup to give the Cavs a 38-30 lead in the second
quarter. Portland tied it at 46 on Lillards consecutive 3-pointers. The Blazers
pulled in front 49-48 on another 3 from Lillard and Portland led 54-50 at the
break. Irvings long jumper gave the Cavaliers a 65-63 lead in the third quarter
while the Blazers struggled to find a basket. Dengs fast-break layup pushed
Clevelands lead to 73-69. But Aldridge hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer
that gave the Blazers a 77-75 lead going into the fourth quarter. Portland clung
to the lead until Waiters pull-up jumper tied it at 88 with 6:18 left. "Youve
got to give LaMarcus Aldridge credit," said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. "He hit
some tough shots down the stretch. They came up with a couple of tough rebounds
for kick-out 3s. It kind of discombobulated us a little bit when they scored. We
missed some shots and that was the ballgame." Notes: The Blazers now embark on a
tough four-game road trip that will take them to San Antonio, Dallas, Houston
and Oklahoma City. ... It was the second time this season that Lillard has had
20 points in the first half. ... After the game several Cavaliers players
returned to the Moda Center court for what appeared to be an impromptu practice.
Several fans also stayed behind to shoot free throws and 3-pointers on the other
end of the court.
Christian
McCaffrey Panthers Jersey . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be
remembered more for a fantastic finish.
Curtis
Samuel Womens Jersey .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a
shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award.
http://www.footballpanthersstore.us/Black-Friday-Harrison-Butker-Jersey/ . He was 40. Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. Friday because Brown was
unresponsive at his home near the Inner Harbor, fire spokesman Battalion Chief
Kevin Cartwright said. He said Brown was dead when firefighters arrived.TSN
Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers several questions each week. This weeks
topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing
of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. 1. The Toronto Blue Jays demoted
Kevin Pillar in a surprising move today. As Scott MacArthur noted in this piece
, it was at least in part due to the rookie showing up his manager. Your
thoughts on this move and the way it was done, as opposed to a quiet word with
the kid? When I signed to play professionally in 1981 out of high school I went
to Kingsport, TN to play rookie ball. I signed my contract after a protracted
negotiation and reported in July after the season had already started. One of
the first rules my manager told me when I walked in his office was to never show
up him (the manager), the coaches or any of my teammates. Every season after
that, my manager proclaimed the same rule in the very first meeting with the
team. It is a commandment of baseball: ""Thou shall not show up the manager."
Kevin Pillar violated that commandment when he threw a temper tantrum for being
pinch hit. I understand that Pillar wanted the opportunity to deliver for his
team and to solidify a role on the roster. What he doesnt seem to understand is
that every at bat is an audition for the next at bat. Players dont get to pick
and choose when they get used and how they get used. If he wanted that at bat
then he should have earned it in his previous at bats. Now I like players who
want to play. I would be disappointed if a player wasnt disappointed to get
pinch hit for and lose an opportunity to be a hero. But Pillar needs to learn
it isnt about him. It is about the team; a first place team at that. I love
that the Jays demoted Pillar over this. There are times when handling things
quietly behind closed doors is appropriate. I am not big on airing dirty
laundry in public. But this was an opportunity for Gibbons to make a statement
to all 25 players on his major league team as well every kid in the minor
leagues. The Blue Jays are about team and not individuals. Over the course of
the season, every player coach and manager does something selfish at some
point. The severity of the selfishness as well as the way it is handled by
everyone impacts the chemistry of the team. Gibbons and Anthopoulos moved
swiftly and firmly on Pillar and the Jays organization is better for it. My
hope is that the Pillar will learn from it and not feel like a victim or hold on
to resentment. He messed up and had to pay the consequences. Pillar set it on
a tee and Gibbons knocked it out of the park. Manager of the year? 2. Based on
the current All-Star voting, is there a player that stands out as not getting
the respect he deserves from the fans? The fan balloting for the All-Star game
is a popularity contest and not always a true indicator of the quality of the
players seasons. There are always players who get a raw deal. It happens every
year. Certainly the player votes coupled with the fan votes gets us close to
the right participants even though we may not have the proper starters. This
year we can see where the injustices are a headed after the fan votes.
Hopefully the players will rectify the problems. Currently there is a great
race at the NL third base position. The Brewers Aramis Ramirez is barely ahead
of Mets third baseman David Wright. Pablo Sandoval of the Giants is within
striking distance as well. However Todd Frazier (.283/17 HR/ 45 RBI, 50 runs)
of the Reds isnt even in the top five and he is having the best season of the
group. I understand that Frazier is a relative unknown to the fans and has come
out of nowhere at an underperforming position in the league, but he deserves the
nod. In the outfield in the NL, Andrew McCutchen (PIT), Yasiel Puig (LAD) and
Carlos Gomez (MIL) lead the way. All three are having All-Star worthy seasons
but I do think that Miamis Giancarlo Stanton (.310/21 HR /59 RBI/55 runs) would
edge out Gomez on my ballot. The greatest injustice in the NL is at the catchers
position. By far, Jonathan Lucroy (.328/8 HR/ 40 RBI) of the Brewers is having
the best season. He is trailing Yadier Molina by close to 700 votes. Lucroy
will likely make the team but he should be the starter. Molina (.282/6HR/27
RBI) is winning by reputation and not performance. In the American League it
seems inevitable that Derek Jeter will win the fan vote for shortstop. The
White Sox Alexei Ramirez has earned the starting role on the field this year but
Jeter will get it for long and meritorious service. And he should. Baltimores
Matt Wieters is leading all AL catchers in voting which tells you how weak the
field must be. Wieters is out for the season with an injury and surgery. They
should just draw names out of a hat to see who goes. Robinson Cano of Seattle
leads the second base vote followed by Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia. All
three have been All-Stars previously and are recognizable names. The guy who
should represent the AL at second base is Jose Altuve of Houston. His .334
batting average leads the league as do his 30 stolen bases. The AL outfield has
a big omission too. Jose Bautista and Mike Trout are one and two in the
balloting and deserve it. Currently Melky Cabrera is in third place. He is
having a nice year but with all due respect probably shouldnt be in the top five
candidates for the team. Oaklands Yoenis Cespedes deserves consideration before
Cabrera but mostly it is Michael Brantley of the Indians who is getting
short-changed. Brantley is tied for third in hitting in the AL with a .325
batting average to go with 51 RBI. He is having a breakout season and deserves
appropriate recognition. I credit Blue Jays fans for their support of Melky
because I dont believe that he is gaining big time votes from fans around the
league. 3. The Padres fired GM Josh Byrnes this week. Where did it go wrong for
him in San Diego? I always hate to see generaal managers get fired.
Harrison
Butker Jersey. It doesnt only impact them but also their families and
their entire staff. You know the routine; a new GM will want his own people and
many more will lose their jobs. It is the nature of the job and the industry
but it still stinks. In many ways GM jobs are thankless. You can make the
right decision and things can still go wrong. Expectations of owners can often
be the downfall of general managers. Ownership in San Diego said they expected
more from this roster. They had approved Josh Byrnes increasing the payroll
from $68 million to $90. When payroll goes up so do expectations from owners.
They are tied together. However, even with the increase San Diego has the
lowest payroll in the NL West. The Dodgers have the highest payroll in all of
baseball ($235M) while the Giants are seventh ($154M). The Diamondbacks and
Rockies are spending $5M-$6M more than the Padres as well. In his two plus year
Byrnes made a number of trades. Most of which have been fairly successful
although none in a significant way. It is the contract negotiations which
burned him. Shortly after his arrival in San Diego he traded for Carlos Quentin
from the White Sox. That in and of itself is no big problem. It was the
signing of Quentin to a three-year, $27M contract which hurt. Quentin has been
hurt and unproductive as a Padre. He signed three more players, Cory Luebke,
Cameron Maybin and Nick Hundley to pre-arbitration multi-year deals and got
burned by injuries and underperformance again. Then this spring he signed
second baseman Jedd Gyorko to a $35M extension after only one season in which he
hit .243 with 23 homers and 63 RBI. This year, Gyorko rewarded Byrness
confidence with a .162 batting average in 200+ at bats before getting injured.
The Padres are baseballs worst offensive team by far. In fact, their offence is
offensive. They are last in the baseball in runs scored and have been outscored
by 38 runs by the Braves who have the second fewest runs scored. Their slash
line of .213/.273/.337 is the worst in each category. There is more than enough
"stuff" for the owners to make a change in San Diego. That is tough to
dispute. But did the owners actually have expectations that they would be
dramatically better than they are? I never saw it. They are undermanned in
every aspect of the game. I am not sure who will get the job next. But
whomever it is, has their work cut out for them. Omar Minaya, former Mets and
Expos GM is part of the three-man team running things now. He is a creative guy
and may have the right style for a small-market team. Gary Larocque is another
name you will hear. He is in charge of minor leagues and scouting for the
Cardinals. They always seem to have major league-ready talent in St Louis.
Larocque may be able to work his magic in San Diego as well. Padres President
Mike Dee came from the Red Sox so there is speculation that Sox assistant GM
Mike Hazen could be in the running as well. By the way, I like the weather in
San Diego…Im just sayin 4) In most sports we all love to play the blame game.
When something goes wrong, someone is surely to blame. Typically that person
pays with his job. We saw that exact scenario play out with the San Diego
Padres with GM Josh Byrnes dismissal. Typically changes are made when
expectations are not met. In Texas over the last few years, there have
rightfully been big expectations. They have had tremendous success. This year
was no different. They had acquired Prince Fielder in the off-season and seemed
poise to battle for the top position in the AL West. Injuries and
underperformance have crushed them. They have 14 players currently on the DL
including seven pitchers. In many organizations the training staff could find
themselves in trouble with this many injuries. Strength and conditioning
coaches have been axed. I have seen organizations that have changed team
doctors. Even general managers have paid the price for a roster depleted by
injuries. Owners dont want to hear excuses about injuries they just want
results. There is not a single current Ranger employee that I would hold
accountable for the injuries this year. Sometimes the best executives know when
to get out of Dodge before things go badly. Last October, Rangers CEO Nolan
Ryan, stepped down from his position. It was unclear as to why exactly he left,
but he did. I am not saying that he knew what might happen in Texas with the
massive number of injuries but his absence is making playing the blame game a
bit more difficult. Remember it was Nolan Ryan who made such a big deal about
how pitchers are babied today compared to the past. He expected more from his
pitchers. Pitch counts wouldnt dictate performance in his organization. He
wanted the organizations pitchers to be like he was when he pitched. Nolan
Ryan was a freak of nature. He was a big strong powerful workhorse of a
pitcher. He played 27 seasons accumulating over 5,300 innings, the fifth most
of all-time. He even had a year where he pitched 332 innings. My experience
has been that a great player who becomes an instructor often expects players to
do what the star did in his career. It just isnt possible. I believe beyond a
shadow of a doubt that pitchers get hurt by throwing too much. Ryan wanted his
pitchers to throw more not less. Is it any surprise that seven pitchers are
currently on the DL, while several have undergone surgery? It isnt to me. I
know it is not a popular position to take on a baseball icon. It is a losing
battle typically. Remember when Robin Ventura charged Nolan Ryan after he hit
him with a pitch? Ryan got him in a headlock and pummeled Ventura. At the risk
of being pummeled I would like to suggest that Mr. Ryans view that pitchers need
to throw more not less is flawed beyond belief, and despite the fact that he is
no longer there, his presence is still really being felt.
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