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NEW YORK -- Long before they were honored for guiding teams with depleted rosters to first-place finishes, Dave Roberts and Terry Francona were forever linked. Cheap New York Knicks Jerseys .Fans in Boston and beyond will always remember that signature stolen base.It was Roberts daring swipe as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the ninth inning that helped the Red Sox -- managed by Francona -- rally from the brink of being swept in the 2004 AL Championship Series and sped them toward ending their 86-year World Series curse.Francona went on to win two titles with Boston, and on Tuesday he earned his second AL Manager of the Year award with Cleveland.But what if Roberts had been thrown out, could that have altered a path that might someday land Francona in the Hall of Fame?The truth of it is, it probably wouldve been completely different, Francona said on a conference call.Theres always a Dave Roberts-being-out from being the other way, he said.The 44-year-old Roberts won the NL Manager of the Year honor in his first season as a skipper, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the NL West crown.Roberts and Francona each won handily. The voting figures to be much closer Wednesday for the Cy Young awards.Bostons Rick Porcello (majors-leading 22 wins), Detroits Justin Verlander (league-high 254 strikeouts, best wins above replacement for pitchers by baseballreference.com) and Clevelands Corey Kluber (second among pitchers in WAR) are up for the AL prize.Chicago Cubs teammates Kyle Hendricks (majors-best 2.13 ERA, 16-8) and Jon Lester (2.44, 19-5) and Washingtons Max Scherzer (20-7, majors-most 284 strikeouts) are competing for the NL honor.Roberts didnt bat in the 2004 postseason and didnt even play in the World Series sweep over St. Louis. But to just play a small part in his only season in Boston was rewarding, and he still retains lessons taught by Francona.Being unselfish and playing for the right reasons ... the game honors you, he said.Known for that one slide into second base, Roberts certainly had to scramble this season.The Dodgers put 28 different players on the disabled list, more than any team in the last 30 years. An injury to ace Clayton Kershaw was among the reasons they employed a franchise record-tying 55 players, including 31 pitchers.Among the Dodgers who managed to stay healthy: shortstop Corey Seager, chosen NL Rookie of the Year on Monday.Roberts said he was particularly proud of the way our guys battled adversity all year.Roberts made a record 606 pitching changes while going 91-71. Twice, he pulled pitchers in the late innings when they were throwing no-hitters, trying to protect their arms from overuse.In the postseason, Roberts took a creative approach to his bullpen. He used Kershaw against Washington in the deciding Game 5 of the Division Series, then brought in closer Kenley Jansen early while taking a 2-1 lead over the Cubs in the NLCS.Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America voted at the end of the regular season.Roberts got 16 first-place votes to top Joe Maddon, whose Cubs won the World Series. Maddon, who earned the award last year, was picked first on eight ballots.Washingtons Dusty Baker was third and got four firsts. Terry Collins of the New York Mets had the other two firsts.Roberts was the lone NL manager chosen on every ballot. This marked the third straight year a first-time manager has been honored, following Texas Jeff Banister and Washingtons Matt Williams.The 57-year-old Francona guided the Indians to the AL Central title at 94-67. They overtook the defending champion Royals and high-spending Tigers despite losing starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley and catcher Yan Gomes to injuries and outfielders Marlon Byrd and Abraham Almonte to drug suspensions.Cleveland came close to winning its first World Series title since 1948, but the Cubs rallied from a 3-1 deficit.It was an unbelievably satisfying year, Francona said.Its already been a busy offseason for him, too. The Indians picked up options for his contract in 2019 and 2020, then he had a right hip replacement operation.Francona drew 22 first-place votes and was the only manager chosen on all 30 ballots.Banister was second and got four firsts. Baltimores Buck Showalter, who was third, and Bostons John Farrell both drew a pair of firsts. Cheap Swingman Knicks Jerseys . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Cheap NBA Jerseys . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. http://www.cheapknicksjerseys.com/ . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Its not easy to find a weakness in Roger Federer, who is seeking an eighth Wimbledon title and an 18th Grand Slam triumph. Lets keep this between ourselves for now, but the Wimbledon Diary thinks it might have done just that.So far during The Championships, Federer has been successful with just 12.5 percent of his Hawk-Eye challenges, with just one correct query from the eight times he has called upon the technology. Contrast with his quarterfinal opponent, Croatias Marin Cilic, who has a hit-rate of 61.5 percent during the tournament to date, with eight correct challenges from 13 attempts. Of the eight men left in the singles draw, only one has a lower percentage than Federer -- thats Frenchman Lucas Pouille, who was wrong with all six of his, so is lingering on zero.In Novak Djokovics absence, Andy Murray is the highest seed left in the tournament, but he could also do some work on this part of his game -- he has been successful with 23.1 per cent of his challenges, with three from 13. The overall average for the mens singles so far is 30 percent, with the same number in the womens event, too.Golden Bear spotted in SW19Jack Nicklaus, who has been in the Royal Box for the past couple of days, is more than just a tennis fan. The golfer, who won 18 majors, has previously played some small part in tennis history --- the Williams sisters have been known to practice in the grounds of his Florida home. Cheap Knicks Jerseys. Nicklaus has three grass courts in his back garden.Serena aces the numbers gameAside from 22, which is how many Grand Slams Serena Williams will have if she lifts the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday, theres one number that fascinates her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. That number is 102, which is how many aces Williams served during the 2012 Championships. That was the first Grand Slam that we won together and she served at a higher level than I think anyone in the history of the sport, the Frenchman told the Wimbledon Diary. She served more aces in that tournament than any woman or man -- and you have to remember that the men would have been playing over five sets. Thats crazy. Her serve is just a huge weapon on grass.Passing the Wimbledon smell testUsed tennis balls can be bought from a kiosk outside Centre Court. No doubt a few tennis fans will be sniffing the Slazenger balls before using them at their local courts. Thats inspired by Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, a quarterfinalist in the womens singles, who successfully identified a ball from each of the four Grand Slams on smell alone. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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