"This is what I do, what I love to do," he said. "It means a lot to be back coaching."

PEORIA, Ariz. Art Monk Redskins Jersey . - Jesus Montero was visibly nervous Wednesday as he apologized to his
Seattle Mariners teammates and their fans.
The catcher-turned-first baseman was joining the team at spring training
for the first time since receiving a 50-game suspension after being
connected to baseballs Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug
investigation.
"I want to apologize to the whole organization and all my teammates for
what I did last year," Montero said, his voice tinged with emotion. "I
know I made a bad mistake last year and I dont know what I was thinking.
But Im here right now this year to be better and to help the team to
win."
Montero is coming off a rough 2013. The catcher was a prized acquisition
via trade with the New York Yankees in 2012 but struggled last year
with his hitting and defence and was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma, where
he was moved to first base. Then came a torn meniscus that required
season-ending knee surgery and the suspension.
"This was the first time that happened to me. I had six good years in
the minor leagues and one good year in the big leagues," Montero said.
"Then this happened and it was hard for me and my family. But thank God
its in the past already and Im here to move forward and here to be
better every day."
Montero, 24, is on the Mariners 40-man roster but is not guaranteed a
spot on the major-league roster going into this season. He said his knee
feels much better, but hell have work to do to make the big-league
club, or potentially start the year in the minors.
Before his statement, several teammates approached Montero in the
clubhouse to greet him and welcome him back.
"I have to prove to myself, first of all, that I want to be in the big
leagues," he said, pledging to continue to learn to play first base and
play wherever the organization wants him. "My teammates, theyre really
important to me. I want them to be comfortable with me. I dont want them
to be mad or be upset. I want everybody to know Im a good person."
NOTES: Former Tampa Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney was in the clubhouse
Tuesday morning awaiting a physical. He remained officially unsigned
pending the results and had yet to be listed on the teams spring
training roster. . Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, team
President Kevin Mather and infielder Robinson Cano are in the Dominican
Republic for Thursdays opening of the clubs baseball academy there. The
academy sits on 24 acres in the town of Boca Chica.

Josh Doctson Redskins Jersey .Kemba Walker added 16 points for the Hornets (3-2). Charlotte trailed
68-63 before pulling away with a 23-1 run.John Wall scored 14 points for
the Wizards (4-2) on 3-for-12 shooting. He had three assists and four
turnovers. Spencer Long Redskins Jersey .
Ronaldo netted his 14th goal of the season in Europes top competition to
give Madrid a clear advantage ahead of next weeks quarterfinal return
leg in Germany. But it came at a price as the Portugal forward, who came
into the first-leg nursing a sore left knee, came off in the 80th
minute.Mike Johnston feels like he is back where he belongs.
Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland
Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League
teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Its just a statement on who
he is.
"(Coaching) is in your blood when the pre-season starts until it
finishes at the end of the year," he said. "Its just kind of that own
ownership, being able to coach, being able to compete, and you miss that
when youre away from it, for sure, and its a good feeling to be back."
Heading into Saturdays home game against the Kamloops Blazers, he has
guided the defending WHL champions to a 3-3-1 record.
Johnston was suspended last November after a league investigation
determined the Winterhawks provided improper, undisclosed benefits that
included free flights for players and parents.
The team, which was also fined $200,000 and lost several draft picks,
and league disputed the allegations publicly but Johnston ultimately
accepted his punishment.
He didnt get mad. He got busy, even though he was prohibited from going
into the teams office or having any contact with players.
"I tried to focus on what I could do rather than what I couldnt do, and I
could still evaluate older players or our team for the future, and I
could evaluate players who were on our list and determine if they were
ready to fit into our program or were a ways away," he said from
Portland in a recent phone interview. "I couldnt watch our team, but I
could watch the other Western league teams."
Johnston watched games online and also ventured to numerous rinks to
scout Winterhawk hopefuls playing at lower levels. He also attended
major coaching clinics in Burnaby, B.C., where he was a speaker and
attended sessions to get insight on his profession.
"Any time youre not coaching, like summer hockey, I always try and see
if theres some way I can improve and try and study what other teams are
doing, what other coaches are doing, take a look at our team, the
organization, to see if theres any way to get an edge, to improve in
what youre doing from that perspective," he said.
Johnston, a Dartmouth, N.S., native who is in his early 50s, has been
trying to get an edge on the bench since he stopped playing university
hockey and got into coaching while in his 20s. He joined the Winterhawks
after serving in the NHL for almost a decade as an assistant coach with
the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.
He has also won several medals with Canadian junior and senior-age
national teams and served as an assistant with Canadas 1998 Oympic team
in Nagano.
His resume includes Canadian college coaching experience with the
Camrose Kodiaks, a tenure with the University of New Brunswick and a
stint as an assistant at the University of Calgary, where he obtained a
masters degree in coaching science. He also co-authored the book,
"Simply The Best -- Insights and Strategies From Great Hockey Coaches."
After joining the Winterhawks early in the 2008-09 season, he guided the
team to the playoffs for thee first time in four years and built them
into the powerhouse that won the WHL title last season. Alfred Morris Redskins Jersey. Former assistant Travis Green filled in as head coach before taking a
job as head coach of the Canucks new AHL affiliate in Utica, N.Y.
Although he was exiled from the club, Johnston took considerable
satisfaction from the accomplishment.
"Every year, we were making strides, we were taking steps and then last
year we were able to break through," he said. "I was extremely proud of
the coaching staff, the players and the whole team on how we handled the
steps that wed been through the last four to five years -- how they
progressed, how they developed and how they finally pushed over that
hurdle to win a WHL championship."
Now Johnston is setting his sights on a possible repeat and another
berth in the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament with the bulk of the
roster that prevailed last season. The Winterhawks lost seven players to
graduation and promotion to the pro ranks.
Defenceman Seth Jones, the fourth overall pick in this years NHL draft,
has moved on to the Nashville Predators, while winger Ty Rattie, a St.
Louis Blues prospect who placed third in the WHLs scoring race with 48
goals and 62 assists, is now playing for Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
Defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon is also in the AHL, toiling for Calgarys
affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C.
Portland still has 15 holdovers from the championship club. Among the
returnees are Brendan Leipsic, who had 49 goals and 120 points last
season.
"Its going to be challenging, its going to be difficult," Johnston said
of the effort to repeat. "But it wasnt easy to do what we did the last
couple years. There are a lot of good teams in the league. Its a
well-coached league, a well-run league and every season there are five
or six teams that are playing at a level where anybody could win it.
"This year it looks like its even more wide open than that. But weve got
a good nucleus back, weve got a good core group and I believe that well
have a chance to play (for a title). Well be right there."
And so will Johnston.
He declined to discuss his suspension in detail, and a team spokesman
noted the organization is moving on from it. Johnston also declined to
indicate whether the Winterhawks have reviewed or changed their
recruiting procedures in wake of the suspension.
But the club is treading carefully now that Johnston has been
reinstated.
"Were making sure that everything we do is in conjunction with what is
being allowed by the league," said Johnston. "So we are making sure that
(with) any grey area, any questions we have, we are checking with the
league office first to make sure were in accordance with exactly how
everything should be done."
That way, Johnston, a self-described career coach, can focus on guiding
his charges without fear of sanctions and a hiatus that, despite his
efforts to keep busy, still caused obvious discomfort.
"This is what I do, what I love to do," he said. "It means a lot to be
back coaching."

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