in the best way possible, dunking on from zgr123's blog
ANAHEIM, Calif. Jake Butt Broncos Jersey . -- The Cleveland Indians made their first visit this season to Angel Stadium and found an old friend in the closers role for the other team -- Joe Smith. The right-hander, who spent the previous five seasons with the Indians, got three outs in the ninth inning to preserve a 6-3 victory for Los Angeles on Monday night for his first save with the Angels. His role changed after a series of poor outings by Ernesto Frieri. "I dont think your attitude changes," Smith said. "I mean, if youre coming on in the seventh or eighth inning, the goal is the same: get out of the inning with a zero and hand the ball off to the next guy. Now, the goal is to get out of the inning with a zero and slap hands. It doesnt matter what inning Im throwing. I pitch people the same." Smith retired Carlos Santana on a foul pop behind the plate, then gave up a single to pinch-hitter David Murphy before retiring Michael Brantley on a fielders choice grounder and Asdrubal Cabrera on a line drove to centre field. "When hes on your team, hes easy to root for," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Im one of his biggest fans -- and I only had the opportunity to have him for one year. For the guys who were around him longer than that, I can see why they like him so much. Hes a pros pro. I remember a conversation I had with Smitty when he was going through free agency, and I remember telling him flat out: We want you back so bad. But if we dont get you back, I hope you break the bank." Smith, who signed a three-year, $15.75 million contract in November, was the setup man last year for the Tribe and got three saves along the way. "Joe could be successful anywhere they put him," Francona said. Fernando Salas (2-0) pitched a hitless eighth inning and got credit for the victory after the Angels broke a 3-all tie in the bottom half with an RBI single by Mike Trout and a two-run triple by Raul Ibanez against Justin Masterson (0-1). Masterson gave up six runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings after getting a no-decision in each of his first five starts. The right-hander hasnt posted a victory since beating the Angels 3-1 last Aug. 21 at the "Big A." Nick Swisher misplayed J.B. Shucks leadoff grounder to first base in the eighth for an error, and Erick Aybar bunted Shuck to second before Trout singled to left on a full-count pitch to snap a 3-all tie. Albert Pujols was walked intentionally in front of Ibanez, who capped the scoring with his triple to right-centre on Mastersons 113th and final pitch. Tyler Skaggs allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings and struck out six. The left-hander, staked to a 1-0 lead on Pujols RBI groundout in the first, retired his first 10 batters before giving up a double by Swisher, a walk to Jason Kipnis and Santanas second homer of the season into the left field bullpen. "Tyler hung a curveball to Santana, but other than that, he threw the ball awesome," Smith said. "If our starters go seven and give up three every time, thats great. Keep it rolling. It only makes it easier on us -- especially with this offence." Santana, the Indians switch-hitting third baseman, came in batting .122 over his first 24 games and was 3 for 22 with men in scoring position. But Francona said before the game that he wasnt ready to drop Santana out of the cleanup spot, where he has been in every game hes played. The Angels tied it in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by Aybar after Masterson issued a leadoff walk to Ian Stewart and a single by David Freese. Stewart started at third base while Freese was the designated hitter on his 31st birthday. The Indians, who had just gotten swept in a series at San Francisco, were 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position during that three-game set and totalled just five runs -- while their 4-5-6 hitters were a combined 0 for 29. NOTES: The Angels flight from New York didnt get in until 5:15 a.m. local time after a 3-2 loss at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that ended their 4-5 road trip. "I wish they played 20 innings," Francona said. ... Angels LF Josh Hamilton had his cast taken off Monday and is wearing a splint, the next step toward beginning his strength exercises and resuming baseball activities. Garett Bolles Youth Jersey . Today, their baseball playing sons were reportedly traded for each other. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Cubs dealt minor league outfield Trevor Gretzky to the Angels for catcher Matt Scioscia. Chad Kelly Broncos Jersey .Fucale will not only be one of the local boys, he is also a Montreal Canadiens draft pick and will have a huge cheering section when Canada opens the tournament Dec. NEW YORK -- At least the New York Knicks can say they won a city championship. Only the Brooklyn Nets have a chance to compete for a real one -- though theyd better play a lot better than this. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 points and the Knicks, playing without the injured Carmelo Anthony, beat the Nets 109-98 on Tuesday night to win the season series between city rivals. And in an otherwise massively disappointing season, apparently local bragging rights do matter. "Hell yeah," Knicks guard J.R. Smith said. "I mean, Im cool with some of those guys over there, so I can still say something when were in the gym this summer. As long as I can say they didnt beat us that many times, were good." The Knicks prevented the Nets from clinching the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and won their third straight in their too-little, too-late strong finish. Amare Stoudemire and Smith each added 14 points. Anthony had an MRI exam Tuesday that revealed a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He wont play Wednesday against Toronto, the final game of the first season in his 11-year career that wont end with a playoff berth -- and potentially his last as a member of the Knicks. He has said he will become a free agent in July. Marcus Thornton scored 24 points for the Nets, who werent sharp despite playing starters Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. The other starter, Shaun Livingston, remained sidelined with a sprained right big toe. The Nets still have a magic number of one for finishing fifth. But they could fall to No. 6 if they lose Wednesday in Cleveland and Washington beats Boston. "Tonight was an example of how not to take a step forward. We were off our game offensively, defensively, all phases of the game and thats not how you want to go into the playoffs," Pierce said. The Knicks would be in the playoffs themselves if they played against everyone else the way they did against the Nets while winning three romps. All four games were on national TV, though none was really worth watching after halftime. The Knicks won a pair of routs, 113-83 at Barclays Center in December and 110-81 at Madison Squarre Garden two weeks ago. Demarcus Walker Broncos Jersey. The Nets won by 23 in their lone victory. The overhyped city series didnt live up to preseason expectations, much like the Knicks. Players from both sides had sparred in the press during the summer after the Nets made their big off-season moves, expecting to battle to be the best in New York and also the Atlantic Division. Well, the division champion isnt from New York -- or even the U.S. Toronto finished ahead of both teams. The Knicks have defeated the Raptors, Bulls and Nets, currently the Easts Nos. 3-5 seeds, in their last three games, and coach Mike Woodson said it was "irritating" that his team would be watching the playoffs from home. "If we had handled our business early on and didnt let some of the close games get away, we probably wouldnt be standing here. Wed probably be preparing for playoff basketball, but thats not the case," Woodson said. "We put ourselves in this hole and were going to have to live with it this summer and then try to figure it out next season." The Knicks led 29-18 after one and the game got fun midway through the second quarter. Stoudemire had a powerful follow dunk over Mason Plumlee, screaming into the rookies ear afterward. Plumlee responded in the best way possible, dunking on the Nets next two possessions. Plumlee finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. But Brooklyn never really got into the game, and the only real interest in the second half were some occasional dueling chants between the split crowd. A "Goodbye Melo!" chant from a section of Nets fans was soon followed by a loud "Lets go Knicks!" NOTES: The Nets wore their Brooklyn Dodgers-inspired grey uniforms on Jackie Robinson Day. He debuted for the Dodgers as the first black player in the major leagues on this date in 1947. ... Pierce became the sixth player in NBA history to score 1,000 points in 15 straight seasons, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19), Karl Malone (18), John Havlicek (16), Elvin Hayes (15) and Robert Parish (15). ... Mirza Teletovics wife gave birth to twins earlier Tuesday and the Nets reserve forward also will miss Wednesdays game. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall