Alles über die Band » to deal with the change in goal.

CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Manny Ramirez on Friday for his work with the Cubs minor leaguers in Arizona, and said the former major league star could join Triple-A Iowa next week. Ramirez signed a minor league deal in May and reported to the teams facility in Mesa to get some at-bats in extended spring training. When Ramirez moves to Iowa, he will be a player-coach for Chicagos top farm club. "Ive gotten unsolicited emails and texts from a lot of the staff down there saying that hes been a breath of fresh air and the best thing that ever happened to the kids down in Mesa," Epstein said before the Cubs 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "So Im really pleased with the impact hes making on the organization. "Probably sometime next week that hes ready to go to Iowa, but were not in a rush because hes making an impact with the young kids down there who are getting their first taste of pro ball as well as guys like Jorge Soler, who are there rehabbing. Mannys been a really nice influence so far." The 42-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. But the Cubs brought him in to serve as a mentor for some of their young players and insist he is not a candidate for a promotion to the major league club. The addition of Ramirez was a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who was the general manager in Boston when the enigmatic slugger helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and 2007. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. He also has been criticized in the past for lackadaisical play, but Epstein thinks he can be a valuable teacher for Chicagos rich minor league system. "Hes been meeting with the young kids there daily, pulling them aside, talking about hitting, talking about not making some of the same mistakes that he made off the field, really keeping them focused on working hard and having a passion for the game and doing things the right way," Epstein said. When Ramirez gets to Iowa, he will get a chance to work one of the majors best prospects in third baseman Kris Bryant. The No. 2 overall selection in last years draft hit .355 with 20 homers in 68 games with Double-A Tennessee, and then belted a two-run shot in his debut with Iowa on Thursday night. The promotion to Triple-A means Bryant is just one step away from joining the Cubs, but Epstein made it sound as if that would be next season at the earliest. "I dont forsee a scenario where hed be up this year," he said. "I dont think its the right thing to do for someone in his first full professional season, barring extraordinary circumstances both in respect to the player and whats going on at the big league club." Epstein also is pleased with what he has seen so far from this years first-round pick, Kyle Schwarber. The No. 4 overall selection from Indiana University was quickly promoted from Chicagos short-season Class A affiliate in Boise, Idaho, to Single-A Kane County. There is some question about whether Schwarber will play catcher or left field in the pros, but it looks as if that decision can wait for now. "We decided this year, his first exposure to pro ball, were going to have him see a lot of time in left field, let him catch about once a week, maybe twice a week, so he can stay fresh with his catching, DH some so that he can keep his bat in the lineup when he needs a day off," Epstein said. "Then were going to sit down at the end of the minor league season and see whether its an appropriate time to make a call." Eric Staal Jersey . Thats 14 consecutive losses to the two-time defending champs, and most of them were over before they even began. Result notwithstanding, Sundays game had a very different feel to it. Jason Zucker Jersey . Auld made 37 saves in a 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. It was Ottawas first game without starter Anderson, who is out indefinitely after cutting his hand Wednesday night, and it was evident the team wasnt sure how to deal with the change in goal. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Matt-dumba-wild-jersey/ . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter. Mikko Koivu Jersey .J. -- The NHL reduced its penalty against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday for signing Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010. Jared Spurgeon Jersey . Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. NEW YORK -- Once Anthony Davis went down, Ryan Anderson stepped up to keep the New York Knicks on their losing ways. Anderson made seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame Davis loss to a broken left hand to hand the Knicks their ninth straight loss, 103-99 on Sunday night. "When Ryan comes into the game, he doesnt think like a bench guy," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "He thinks like Im playing 35 minutes and Ive got to do my job. Obviously we dont expect him to score 31 points, but I will take it." Tyreke Evans added 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Pelicans sent the Knicks to their seventh straight home loss. "Obviously we played against a desperate team tonight," Williams said. "But, were desperate, too. Any time you can win on the road, winning eight games period, is special in the NBA." The Pelicans, now 8-8, are last in the NBAs Southwest Division but would be in first place in the Atlantic. Toronto currently is atop the standings at 6-10 -- and the last-place Knicks (3-13) are only three games back. Davis had seven points and four rebounds in the first quarter before leaving with what the Pelicans said was a non-displaced fracture in his left hand. The team said a timetable for his return has not been determined. "I was going up for a lob, got fouled and then hit my hand on the rim," Davis said. "I havent found anything out yet. Most definitely I hope its a short-term thing. I didnt think it would keep me out, but it did." Carmelo Anthony finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. had a career-high 21 points for the Knicks, who havent won at home since beating Milwaukee on Oct. 30 in their season opener. "Nine straight, eight straight, whatever we lost, we just cant seem to get it together," Anthony said. "Cant seem to figure it out, but we have to. We dont have no choice but to figure this out." In a game that featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes, the Pelicans trailedd 93-88 after Hardaways 3-pointer with 6:42 remaining.dddddddddddd However, New Orleans then scored the next 10 points, as Evans started the streak with a three-point play and ended it with two free throws with 2:46 left. The Knicks pulled within three on Anthonys 3-pointer with 54 seconds left. But, after a Pelicans turnover, Hardaway and Anthony missed potential game-tying 3s and Evans hit a free throw with 15 seconds remaining to secure the win. "I thought down the stretch we played on our heels," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We had so many breakdowns again on the ball defence. We are not taking pride in guarding. Ive got to find some identity with this team. Somehow we have to get this monkey off our back." Neither team led by more than seven points in the game. A 19-8 run by the Knicks gave them their biggest lead of the game, 49-42, on Hardaways 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. Anderson scored inside with a second left before halftime to make it a five-point game. "We knew we had to step up defensively and eliminate easy shots and we did that in the second half," said Anderson, who also made seven 3-pointers in a game at Madison Square Garden while playing for Orlando during the 2011-12 season. "We outplayed them and imposed our will." New Orleans had an 8-0 run in the third to open its biggest lead at 76-69 on Evans layup with 52 seconds left. Jrue Holiday finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans. Andrea Bargnani had 17 points for the Knicks. J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton each had 12. "We lost and its killing me right now," Felton said. "We need to find a way to end this losing streak. I dont care how ugly it is." The win for the Pelicans was just their second in the last 10 meetings between the teams. NOTES: The last time the Knicks lost nine in a row was March 19-April 4, 2006, under Larry Brown. The Knicks also lost 10 in a row that season from Jan. 28-Feb. 13. The Knicks havent won since a 95-91 victory at Atlanta on Nov. 13. 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