WASHINGTON -- When Dusty Baker first played in the minor leagues at age 18, he had only seen curveballs and never a slider. Buy Cheap Avalanche Jerseys .When I went to swing at it, it would like move right at the right time and I thought it was like an anti-bat repellant-type pitch, Baker said.Almost 40 years later, thats what the Washington Nationals manager sees in new closer Mark Melancons cutter. Melancon has continued to use that Mariano Rivera-inspired cutter, his curveball and fastball to near perfection since the Nationals acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline.In his first five appearances for Washington, Melancon retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced, striking out seven and walking none. He has come precisely as advertised and looks to be the consistent solution to the Nationals closer problem.Hes not doing anything different than he was before we got him, Baker said. He doesnt give up a lot of hits. He gives up very few walks.Melancon is Mr. Steady and Dependable, having converted 30 of 33 save opportunities for the Pirates this season and now 2 of 2 for the Nationals. Thats a stark contrast to usurped Washington closer and 2015 trade deadline pickup Jonathan Papelbon, who allowed eight runs on seven hits in his final three outings before the trade and has three blown saves and a 4.37 ERA.In 50 games, Melancon has a 1.35 ERA, and hes spotless so far with the Nationals. He credits the seamless transition to catchers Wilson Ramos and Pedro Severino being on the same page with him.Im just attacking guys and trying to get ahead, Melancon said Wednesday. Its been smooth and great attitudes back there and willingness to learn on both ends of that. I think when you have those things, things usually click pretty well.Melancon knows a thing or two about adjusting to new catchers and new teams. The trade from Pittsburgh to Washington for left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn was the fourth of his career.He was traded from the New York Yankees to Houston at the 2010 deadline, from the Astros to the Red Sox in the winter of 2011 and from Boston to Pittsburgh in the winter of 2012. As a pending free agent, the 31-year-old righty wasnt shocked he got traded.Pirates general manager Neal Huntington knew he was giving up a stable back-of-the-bullpen piece, saying, While we anticipate he will be very productive for the Nationals over the next two months, the reality is hes staring free agency in the face. Melancon is making $9.65 million and will almost certainly get a substantial raise this offseason.With Papelbons contract up after the season, the Nationals could be among the top suitors for Melancon. But for now, theyre in first place in the NL East and trail only the Chicago Cubs for the best record in baseball, so the 2016 World Series is their focus.Melancons stability is a big piece of the road there for a team with a history of playoff failures, but hes still in the process of tinkering and trying to improve his arsenal. He has a strong rapport with Washington pitching coach Mike Maddux stemming from a 2014 trip to Japan that featured a series of exhibition games, and the two are working on adding a change-up and discussing mental aspects of closing.Hes extremely knowledgeable and fun to listen to, Melancon said. Everybody has a different twist on things, but he brings things to light that you never even knew were out there. Its really cool to learn from him. His experience is as good as anybodys.Melancon, who led the majors with 51 saves last season, has plenty of experience himself and is arguably at his peak as a professional pitcher. Baker has seen plenty of closers in his decades in baseball and comes away impressed.He mixes it up: fastball, cutter, curveball, Baker said. Before he had a super curveball, which was his main pitch, but now you cant sit on any one of those pitches. And hes pretty smart about what hes doing.Melancon learned the smarts from Rivera during his time with the Yankees. Melancon has carried on the tradition of the dominant cutter that Rivera made nearly unhittable. Teemu Selanne Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Colin Wilson Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. http://www.avalanchejerseyscheap.com/?tag=matt-nieto-jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR. This week, we hit Joe Gibbs Racing, solutions for Indy and the mystery surrounding the 88 car:Turn 1: How could Joe Gibbs Racing get this far ahead in what is supposed to be the most competitive era of NASCAR?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: They have the strongest rotation in NASCAR. You have two former champs in Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, while Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards have come within a whisker of a title. Combine that with a concentrated effort that Toyota created to push quality over quantity, and Joe Gibbs has the potential to lead this sport for the next five years.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Well, having a crazy-talented group of drivers helps, especially the one in the 18 car [Busch]. But what were seeing is also the payoff for a decade of work by Toyota. All along theyve told us they were working on a long-term vision and process, and here they are. All this being said, these things run in cycles; the edge can be lost in a hurry, especially these days. It was only a little over a year ago when we asking what was wrong at JGR.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: The credit goes to Toyota for creating a five-car super team and the most powerful engine in NASCAR. At Indianapolis, a leading Chevrolet driver said he believes the Toyotas have a 15-horsepower advantage right now, and when coupled with a driver lineup that doesnt really have any weaknesses and more young talent in the pipeline, the Gibbs team is in a dominant position.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Toyota. The car manufacturer appears to put more money into NASCAR per team, especially considering its engine development program. Money buys speed, and while it appears Toyota didnt get its moneys worth in 2014 and for the early portion of 2015, it has gotten its moneys worth since then.Turn 2: Is it time to rethink the annual Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? If so, what would you suggest?McGee: You cant drop it. Its still a marquee event for teams when it comes to sponsor activation, and its still a crown jewel in the eyes of the competitors. I say shorten it. Move it back to Saturday, run a pair of full-field shorter races and call it an homage to the Indiana short-track tradition. Make it feel way different than the Indy 500.Oreovicz: Id move it to the fall and make it a Chase race -- ideally a cutoff race between rounds. That would at least inject some urgency into the event and make it more worth watching or attending. To make it a more entertaining car race, Id run the event on the IMS road course.Pockrass: Anyone who isnt worried about the Brickyard attendance needs a shovel to get their head out of the sand. That being said, if Tony George can come back as the chairman of the race track, then anything is possible. Continuing to explore tire/aero combinations should remain a priority for Indy. Also making it a Chase race might work -- as long as the Colts arent home that day.Craven: This race is important to the competitors, the owners and even the identity of NASCAR. While I will agree that the racing at IMS for these cars is poor, its still identified as a member of the big four, along with a Coke 600, Southern 500 and, of course, the Daytona 500. With the TV package that exists, I feel certain the track still makes money for the event. While the seats will never be as full as they are in May (not even close), I cant imagine the race disappears from the schedule.Turn 3: Is there any good reason why the Xfinity and Truck series shouldnt run Lucas Oil Raceway (fondly known as IIRP) at Indy?Oreovicz: Im among those who would like to see the Trucks and Xfinity cars back at IRP, whether in replacement or in addition to the Xfinity race at IMS. Discount Avalanche Jerseys Online. The locals loved the Xfinity/Truck event at Indys other track, making it one of the summers toughest tickets. Competitors loved it too and one great way NASCAR could reconnect with fans it has lost would be to allow itself to go down market to grassroots venues like LOR.Craven: Perhaps the Xfinity race (with its TV revenue) helps justify the entire NASCAR weekend. Would IRP produce a more entertaining race? Hell yes! And for all three divisions. I can think of another half-dozen short tracks I would like to see us compete at. It still amazes me that we have only one short-track race in the 10-race Chase.McGee: Good reason? No. They let the sponsors force their hand and it sucked a lot of the fun out of the week. They need to restore the entire USAC/Trucks/Xfinity tripleheader at IRP. Return some of that citywide festival-of-speed feel from the original Brickyard weekends and run Eldora the week before or after. Own the summer! But they wont do any of that. Big swings at the schedule dont seem to be their thing. Unless you count later start times as a big swing -- but thats a whole other discussion, isnt it?Pockrass: Nope. Its understandable that IMS wanted an Xfinity race to try to boost the weekend ticket. The Kid Rock concert that followed Saturday appeared to have more fans, so maybe Xfinity can work just as a support event for the concert. But NASCAR should take trucks and Xfinity to IRP on the Indy 500 pole weekend in May. The racing was too good at IRP for NASCAR not to go there, and NASCAR needs to find a way to make it work.Turn 4: If Dale Earnhardt Jr. cant go at Watkins Glen, who should get in the No. 88 car?Craven: Jeff Gordon should be the driver of the 88 until Junior is prepared to return. Jeffs knowledge of the race car is priceless, and he can contribute to the organization perhaps more than any driver available. Jeff is also the right driver in terms of not putting too much pressure on Dale Jr. to return too quickly. Its the equivalent of having Joe Montana or Tom Brady as your sub.McGee:?Yep. The guy they already have in there is pretty good.Oreovicz: Getting back into the rhythm of road racing would be a tougher task for Gordon, but hes still the logical choice if hes willing to do it. It would be interesting to see one of the Chevrolet-affiliated IndyCar drivers get a chance, but their contracts with Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing would probably prevent the cream of the crop from running for a competing NASCAR team like Hendrick. Sam Hornish Jr. is a capable road racer and he obviously did a great job filling in for the JGR Xfinity team earlier this year, winning at Iowa.Pockrass:?Gordon would be fine if he wants to risk his back for the sake of making his 800th start. If not, former Cup rookie of the year Andy Lally knows how to wheel it on a road course. But with IndyCar coming there four weeks later, it would be cool to see an IndyCar driver in that ride. James Hinchcliffe, being from Canada, would be a neat choice for a race that attracts many from Canada. But since hes a Honda guy, it might not be able to happen. Any of the Penske stable of Chevy IndyCar drivers -- Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves?or Josef Newgarden -- would be exciting to watch. Cheap NFL Jerseys China China NFL Hoodies Wholesale Jerseys 2020 White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys 2019 Cheap Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys ' ' '