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Rajai Davis couldnt have drawn up his role in the Blue Jays two-run third inning on Saturday any better. Aboard on a lead off bu

in Quasselecke 30.08.2018 09:33
von jinshuiqian0713 • 1.650 Beiträge

ST. Nelson Cruz Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida - Rajai Davis couldnt have drawn up his role in the Blue Jays two-run third inning on Saturday any better. Aboard on a lead off bunt single, pushed past the pitcher to the first base side. Follow it up with a stolen base and an advance to third on a ground ball before scoring on another ground out. Davis speed is the gift. It cant be taught. How he uses his speed to his advantage, particularly for stealing bases, is a product of years of work. "I think it just comes from a lot of experience," said Davis. "I think I have 251 minor league stolen bases and (259) in the Bigs. Thats a lot of experience right there. That alone, youve got an idea of what pitchers are going to do, what they want to do. They all seem to fall into the same rhythm or the same routine of things." Davis 36 stolen bases through Saturday tie him with Milwaukees Jean Segura for third-most in the majors. A significant number under normal circumstances, the fact Davis has appeared in only 80 games, 54 as a starter, makes the total even more impressive. "There are a number of people I can think of that have speed," said Davis. "Not all of them steal bases though. Its something you have to develop and its something you have to work on constantly. Its just like hitting, youve got to constantly get better and learn the pitchers and learn what they want to do and while youre doing it youve got to still remain calm, cool and collected." The process of becoming a base stealer, not just a fast runner, began immediately after Davis was drafted in 2001 by the Pirates. He sidled up to minor league instructors like Gary Redus, who stole 322 bases in a career that spanned 13 seasons, and Tony Beasley, who swiped 138 bags playing almost a decade in the minors. After moving on to San Francisco and then Oakland, Davis picked the brain of Rickey Henderson whenever he was around the Athletics facilities. Here, now, with the Blue Jays, Davis spent time this spring studying video and talking with roving base running instructor Tim Raines. Henderson and Raines are two of the all-time greats. "If you look at video, what are you looking for? Thats the key," said Davis. "Now you talk with them, theyll tell you what to look for. Theyve got some things that you can look for. But video, to me, is useless unless you know what youre doing, unless you know what youre looking for. Talking with them is gaining knowledge." He thrives on the cat-and-mouse game with the pitcher. Davis gets to first; he knows the pitcher is distracted by his presence. Hes used to diving back to the bag, the subject of regular pick-off attempts. Some mean business, others attempt to get Davis to shorten his lead. If Davis takes off, the pitcher wants his catcher to have a chance. Davis says Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer has one of the best pick-off moves in the game. He was impressed by Travis Blackley, a young left-hander in the Astros organization who came to Toronto with Houston for a series last month. Sometimes, he sees something he hasnt before. "This year, Ive seen David Price break out the step off move for the first time in my career," said Davis. "Ive never seen him do that. Maybe he was trying to get better, trying to slow down the running game. Its always changing and youve got to adjust, got to think on the fly. It helps when youve got the experience dealing with a lot of times on base and stealing bases." Davis will be eligible for free agency for the first time this offseason. His future in Toronto is put into doubt by the business of the game. The Blue Jays have more than $100-million worth of guaranteed contracts for 2014 and arbitration eligibility for the likes of Colby Rasmus and J.P. Arencibia to deal with. Whether he fits into the budget, both term and money, is a matter for both sides to hammer out. Regardless, hell be in demand. Speed is always in demand. "I think the best thing for me is just to focus on what I need to do daily because whats going to happen in the future is just going to happen based on what I do daily," said Davis. "If I can continue to focus on doing my part, contributing, just staying focused on getting on base, stealing bases, doing what I do, I think that my future will take care of itself." REYES DOWN FOR WEEKEND Shortstop Jose Reyes has been playing with a sore right knee for about two weeks. The pain intensified toward the end of the Boston series and has reached the point where rest is needed. "I think Ive put a lot of pressure on the good leg because I dont want to put pressure on my ankle," said Reyes. "I think that caused a little problem there." Reyes missed 66 games with a sprained left ankle earlier this season. Until Saturday, he had started each of the 45 games since his return and had been removed from only three games, all blowout losses. He says he showed up to Tropicana Field intending to play but took the advice of trainer George Poulis and manager John Gibbons to take rest. Would he be available to pinch hit in a pinch? "If they need me Ill be ready in the dugout," said Reyes. The plan is to have Reyes return on Tuesday in New York. The Blue Jays have an off day on Monday. JOHNSON STAYING BACK Josh Johnson, on the disabled list with a strained right forearm, will split from the club when it heads to New York on Sunday evening. Hell continue to rest and rehab under the watch of team doctors in Dunedin. LIND UP A NOTCH Adam Linds two round trippers on Saturday moved him into sole possession of eighth on the Blue Jays all-time home run list. His 136 home runs with Toronto is one more than Ernie Whitts total. WHITE BOARD MESSAGE With a win on Sunday, the Blue Jays will take a series in Tampa Bay for the first time in six years. Its significant. Remember, because the Rays are a division rival, Toronto visits Tropicana Field three times a year for a total of nine or 10 games. Coaches and players recognize the importance. Someone, an unidentified Blue Jay, even took to the white board to jot down a message after Saturdays victory. "THIS TEAM HAS NOT WON A SERIES HERE SINCE 2007. LETS CHANGE THAT TOMORROW." Kyle Seager Jersey .The South African had three birdies on the front nine and another four after the turn at Leopard Creek Country Club to move to 16-under 128 overall.Grace, who won all four of his European Tour titles in 2012, dropped his only shot of the competition on the par-3 fifth. Cheap Mariners Jerseys .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-hisashi-iwakuma-jersey . The Wizards announced Friday that Webster had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. The operation was performed Thursday in Los Angeles. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- James Franklin grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs, a strong-willed if not exactly strong-armed high school quarterback who believed he was good enough to play at Penn State. Joe Paternos coaching staff didnt exactly agree, and while Franklins arm led to him a decorated career at Division II East Stroudsburg (Pa.), his will led him to the place he wanted to be all along. Home. More than two decades after a futile attempt to draw Penn States attention as a player, the university hired the charismatic 41-year-old as its next head coach on Saturday. "Im a Pennsylvania boy," Franklin said, "with a Penn State heart." One charged with continuing the painstaking and sometimes painful rebuilding process started by Bill OBrien, who took over in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal more than two years ago. But OBrien bolted for the NFLs Houston Texans on New Years Eve, opening the door for Franklin, who breathed life into a moribund program at Vanderbilt, winning 24 games over three seasons and leading the Commodores to three straight bowl games. More will be expected here -- eventually. Thats fine by Franklin, who insists he didnt sign the six-year contract reportedly worth around $4.5 million a season to use the Nittany Lions as a stepping stone. Franklin littered his hour-long introduction with all the right touches. Wearing a blue suit with a blue-and-white tie, he called Penn State his "dream job" and dubbed Saturday "the best day of my life" before quickly amending it to the "third best" after his wedding day to his wife Fumi and the birth of their twin daughters Addy and Shola. Pointing to his family as they watched from the front row, Franklin described himself as having "two daughters and 95 new sons." Yet he knows the branches of the family tree run far deeper. He promised to reconnect the glorious past with what he believes is an ambitious future and vowed to have lunch with every provost and dean while pledging not to turn down any speaking engagement. "Well do everything we can to bring this community back together," he said, "and really take pride in this program." A pride still in the process of healing following the shocking revelations about Sanduskys criminal behaviour and the subsequent fallout that included Paternos unceremonious firing after 45 years at the helm. Then, there were the near-fatal NCAA sanctions that stripped the program of dozens of scholarships and barred the school from post-season competition for four years. As far as OBrien brought Penn State in two years, leading Penn State to a 15-9 record and ushering the Nittany Lions fully into the 21st century, much work remains to be done. The standard isnt to merely be competitive. Scanning a throng that dwarfed anything Franklin ever saw at Vanderbilt in a facility that in many ways rivals the jewels found in places like Alabama and Oregon, Franklin left little doubt as to his intentions. "Our plan is to go out and win a bunch of games," he said, "so we can stay here a long time." Its something Franklin insists he planned on doing at Vanderbilt, where he produced one of the more stirring turnarounds in recent college football history. The Commodores went 16-4 over his final 20 games, second only to Alabama over that span in the SEC. Vanderbilt won the final seven games of 2012 and the final five of 2013. And, Franklin led Vanderbilt into the fiinal Associated Press poll each of the past two seasons, including No. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys. 24 in the rankings released Tuesday. As impressive as Franklins credentials may be, Penn State athletic director Dave Joyner believes they put Franklin through the "most thorough vetting process of any search perhaps of any position at this university." One that included delving into rape accusations against four Vanderbilt players last June. Franklin dismissed all four players and a fifth Commodore who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge of attempting to cover up the crime. Authorities have not implicated Franklin in any way and Joyner praised Franklin for his decisive action in what Franklin called "the most challenging thing Ive ever been through personally." Other challenges await. Theres the initial scramble to cobble together a recruiting class over the next month before National Signing Day and the assembling of a staff that will help the Nittany Lions take on Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan State in a new-look league that will add Maryland and Rutgers. Theres also finding a way to move forward while paying homage to the past. Franklin mentioned Paterno three times by name and recalled crossing paths with the college football Hall of Famer while out on the recruiting trail as an assistant at Maryland. "I walked in and had to show my I.D. and do everything I possibly could to get into the school," Franklin said. "Joe walked in and shut the entire school down. They had an in-school assembly, and I realized I had no chance. I really had no chance." Now Franklin finds himself in Paternos position, as the face of a program that has ceded some fertile recruiting ground to places like Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Franklin believes its time for the Nittany Lions to reclaim their territory. "When I say Penn State, that is the whole state," he said. "That is the whole state. We will recruit every corner of this state, every school of this state, every neighbourhood of this state." Theyre neighbourhoods Franklin knows well. While his path through the coaching ranks included stops at Washington State, Idaho State and Kansas State, Franklin always seemed to find his way back to Pennsylvania. Its the place he knows best, a place where he watched his mother work multiple jobs to raise a family. He inherited her work ethic when the coaching bug hit after six months trying to play in Europe. His career began by living in the basement of a friend, realizing the same mental toughness that helped him set records as a quarterback at East Stroudsburg would serve him well on the sideline and in the living rooms of the young men he wanted to lead. Franklins role at Penn State, however, will extend far beyond wearing a headset on Saturdays. Its a role the business-like OBrien did with a determined professionalism. Where OBrien was taciturn, Franklin is decidedly more energetic, a coach who has no problem getting by on five hours of sleep or glad-handing boosters, alumni, students and faculty alike. He pledged to "dominate" the state, but do it "the right way." A way that he thinks will provide a blend of Paternos scholarly paternalism with a brash new mindset that produces enthralling football on the field and graduates off it. "Were going to unite the coaches, were going to unite the community," Franklin said "and build this program where everybody wants it to be." 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