t, but he was suffering from a rare gen from corse178's blog
CLEVELAND -- Jason Kipnis was raised on Chicagos North Side, and like so many other kids, he grew up idolizing Ryne Sandberg, watching Sammy Sosa smash home runs and listening to Harry Caray. Nike TN Basso Prezzo .He bled Cubs blue.And he never once blamed Steve Bartman -- they went to the same high school, by the way.We have a joke, the Indians second baseman said, referring to the infamous fan vilified in Chicago for a failed attempt to catch a postseason foul ball. The only thing Im mad at Bartman for is missing an easy flyball.Kipnis wishes those Chicago fans who havent been able to let go would finally forgive Bartman and turn an ugly moment into something special.I would love to see him throw out a first pitch, he said. Everyone would go nuts.Kipnis was in high school when Bartman, innocently sitting in a front-row seat down the left-field field lane, became an unintentional celebrity in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in 2003. The slight man, wearing a Cubs cap and headphones so he could listen to the game on the radio, reached out and tried to catch a foul ball in the eighth inning as Cubs outfielder Moises Alou tried to close in.The Cubs were derailed during the Bartman Game, blowing a big lead and losing, and then dropping Game 7 to the eventual world champion Marlins.Kipnis lived close to Bartman and very vividly remembers seeing police staked out around his house to prevent any zealous fans from getting at him. There are Cubs fans to this day who hold a grudge toward Bartman. He has remained in hiding.He didnt deserve that, Kipnis said. He never asked for all the stuff that probably happened to him afterward. I dont think he deserved any of that. He was probably actually a pretty loyal fan and he wanted a ball, and its just the way events turns that turned him into this scapegoat.The likelihood that he would return to throw out a first ball or anything like that is probably slim, none and no chance, Frank Murtha, a longtime friend and spokesman for Bartman, told CNN Saturday.Kipnis now finds himself in a unique situation in his first World Series, facing the team that helped shape his life. The Cubs are in his DNA. Theyre the team he learned to love, the one that taught him the game and the one that often broke his heart. But while Kipnis family and friends intend to remain true to their Cubbies over the next week, his loyalties are not divided.Theres zero conflict at all, he said Tuesday on the eve of Game 1. Lets be clear about that.Kipnis, though, said watching the Cubs wrap up their first NL pennant since 1945 on TV was emotional. Some of his friends were at Wrigley Field on Saturday night, and when the last out was recorded, part of Kipnis was there, too.I didnt know how to handle it, he said. I didnt know if I was happy, mad, sad. I was emotional. I was choked up, I was like, Oh, no, what does this mean right now? But its nothing more than excitement for the games.He was 11 in that magical summer of 1998 when Sosa and Mark McGwire seemed to belt a home run in every at-bat. Baseball was bulked up and booming and Kipnis was under its spell.As he reminisced during an interview session, the two-time All-Star seemed to remember every swing.Thats when I was really watching baseball closely and turning into a baseball fan, said Kipnis, who is dealing with a sprained left ankle suffered in Clevelands ALCS celebration. In the 98 season, it was Hey, Sammys up, get to a TV every time. And on WGN there were always recaps of the games. Thats pretty much what I grew up on.Despite his Second City roots, Kipnis knows hell be treated like a complete stranger -- and sworn enemy -- when the Series shifts to Wrigley for Game 3. Hes taking solace that there will be a few welcomed faces in the crowd.But the Friendly Confines wont be very friendly.He wouldnt have it any other way.If theyre Cubs fans, theyll boo as they should if youre a baseball fan, he said. But Ill have enough there that youll hopefully hear a couple cheers.Kipnis knows what a championship would mean to fans for both teams, who have gone a combined 174 seasons without celebrating a World Series title.They have the only drought that could make our drought look small, he said. Theyve got us by 40 years. Both franchises have been yearning for this championship, but its pretty neat one of them will come to an end.And Kipnis isnt torn over which one he hopes continues.Theres not one part of me that doesnt wish this curse would keep going, he said.The Associated Press contributed to this report.? Nike Tn Bianche . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Air Max Plus Nere . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. http://www.scarpetn.it/air-max-tn-nere.html . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. EUGENE, Ore. -- Defending Olympic champion Aries Merritt rushed back from a kidney transplant to be ready for Rio. He wont let Zika stand in his way, no matter how much his doctors object.Qualifying in the 110-meter hurdles at Olympic track and field trials begins Friday. Should Merritt make the U.S. team, he said he wont think twice about racing in Rio even though the mosquito-borne virus could pose a greater risk to him than most because of the transplant.Theyre very, very concerned. Theyve asked me many, times: Have you considered not going? said Merritt, who holds the world record in the hurdles (12.80 seconds in September 2012). Im like, Well, thats not an option. If I make it, Im going.The reason is simple: At 30, he doesnt know if this sort of chance will come around again.Merritt won bronze at last years world championships in Beijing with his kidneys barely functioning because of a genetic disorder. He received the transplant from his sister less than a week later. He had another follow-up surgery in October because of complications.He is still healing.Doctors told me I was supposed to be running maybe next year, not this year, Merritt said. I really dont have that option to skip Olympic Games. Its not something I can skip. ... I dont have time to be skipping stuff.He got a late start on training because of the transplant, and other than a groin strain that cost him a few weeks, he says hes in competition shape.Its definitelyy been an uphill battle, Merritt said. Nike Tn Rosse. There are minor setbacks that happen. Every athlete goes through [something]. It wouldnt be a journey if we didnt have something. It just cant be perfect all the time.Merritt didnt let anyone know until just before worlds last August, but he was suffering from a rare genetic disorder that was diagnosed in 2013. For years, it turns out, his kidneys have been faltering, to the point where he ran the final at worlds on Aug. 28 at about eight pounds under his normal weight and with his kidneys barely functioning.He finished 0.01 seconds behind Hansle Parchment of Jamaica for second. Sergey Shubenkov of Russia took gold.Competing at worlds last season with no kidney function was horrible, Merritt said. There was a 90 percent chance Id never run again. I just so happened to beat those odds. Kind of like the odds of going to the Olympic Games.Contrary to a handful of golfers and other athletes who are skipping the Olympics because of fears of the illness, Merritt says hell be there if he qualifies.Hell take plenty of precautions: wearing long sleeves, applying insect repellent and planning to stay indoors as much as possible.Other than that, theres not much he can do.We have Zika back in America, he said. I havent gotten it yet. I dont think its that big of deal. Cheap Jerseys 2018 Wholesale NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
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