CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs.
Aaron Rodgers Jersey . 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."
Mike Daniels Packers Jersey . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes
clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one
bad inning, is likely to sway the result.
Morgan Burnett Packers Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New
England Patriots.AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Arnold Palmer never had an easy time winning
majors until the last one. This is the 50th anniversary of Palmer going wire to
wire in the 1964 Masters to win by six shots, giving him a record four green
jackets. It was his seventh major, significant because it tied him with some of
the greats in the game: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead.
Two more and he could have tied Ben Hogan. Four more majors would have put him
alongside Walter Hagen. Palmer was only 34. He was the King. He was on a roll,
winning roughly one of every three majors. He never won another one. "Well, of
course you never think youre going to be at your last stop," Palmer said last
week. "But it was great. I suppose that psychologically I had accomplished maybe
more than I even realized by winning the Masters and walking up the 18th hole
comfortably. That was something that was truly great for me." Tiger Woods was 32
when he won his last major. Through all these years, Woods has only been linked
with Jack Nicklaus when the conversation turns to the majors. They are the only
players to win the career Grand Slam three times over. The endless chatter is
whether Woods will break the Nicklaus benchmark of 18 majors. Is it even
remotely possible that Woods, much like Palmer, already has won his last major?
Palmer went on to win 19 more times on the PGA Tour. He should have won at least
one major and could have won more. Palmer famously lost a seven-shot lead on the
back nine of Olympic Club in the 1966 U.S. Open, and then was beaten by Billy
Casper in a playoff. He had close calls in 1964 and 1968 at the PGA
Championship, the one major that kept him from a career Grand Slam. Unlike
Woods, he wasnt the best in the world when he stopped winning majors. Woods
captured his 14th major in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. That was six
years ago, and so much has happened since, on and off the golf course. The knee
surgery. The collapse of his marriage and change in his appeal. Another swing
change under a third coach. More injuries. And he no longer seems to make clutch
putts, which might be worse than an injury. Woods has won 14 times, two Jack
Nicklaus awards as PGA Tour player of the year and one FedEx Cup title since his
last major. He is still No. 1, not only in the world ranking but in the eyes of
his peers.
Julius Peppers Jersey. Speculation about his future in the majors is fueled by this being the golden anniversary of Palmers
last major at Augusta National, and the fact Woods isnt here. He had surgery
last week on his back to relieve a pinched nerve that has been bothering him for
longer that he cares to reveal. Woods wont return until this summer. No telling
how many more majors he will miss before he is healthy enough to compete at a
high level. His age suggests he is in his prime, but add five surgeries to those
38 years and he seems older. Its foolish to suggest Woods wont win another
major. If nothing else he can win one just as easily as Justin Rose did at the
U.S. Open or Jason Dufner did at the PGA Championship -- not because of who they
are or what they were ranked, but simply because they are very good players and
it happened to be their week. Phil Mickelson won a British Open last year when
he was 42. Yes, Woods can win another major and probably will. But there was a
time when "probably" wasnt part of the equation. "I probably would have put
every last dollar I had on the gamble that he would break Jacks record
pre-2009," Graeme McDowell said. "Now, slightly longer odds. Im not quite sure
Id put every dollar I had on it now." McDowell has seen enough of Woods and the
shots he could hit to never rule him out. But he has a good eye for the
landscape. McDowell believes 30 per cent of the challenge for Woods will be
physical and the other 70 per cent will be the field. The competition has never
been this deep. What made it tougher on Palmer, more than anything, was the
arrival of Nicklaus. There is no one like Nicklaus -- other than Woods, of
course -- in todays game. Rory McIlroy is the best player in golf when he puts
his game all the way back together. But that would be comparing a 24-year-old
McIlroy with a 38-year-old Woods who will be coming off the disabled list this
summer for the second time in three years. Callaway, which sponsors Palmer, had
made up special golf bags for its players this week with a crown on the side as
a tribute to the King and the 50th anniversary of his last Masters. Is it
possible that Nike will be doing the same for Woods at the 2058 U.S. Open?
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