a home game.When I step to the plate there, Im going to take it all in. Im going to | Forum

SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs got knocked around by the Miami Heat, especially in the second half. Vans Italia Scarpe . Some bumps and bruises werent enough to stop a San Antonio team that finally had its starting five intact, though.Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds, LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and San Antonio held on to beat Miami 94-90 on Monday night.The Heat held the Spurs to 26 percent shooting after halftime but couldnt find enough offense to prevent their fifth straight loss.You have to give them credit, Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. They played great defense in the second half. They played with more energy and they played more physical. We have to find a solution next time.San Antonios projected starting five of Leonard, Aldridge, Parker, Pau Gasol and Danny Green made its home debut after injuries to the starting backcourt led to five different starting lineups in the teams first nine games.Despite that, the Spurs committed a season-high 17 turnovers and got roughed up throughout. Gasol tumbled to the floor on several occasions, including crashing into the stanchion after being struck from behind by Dion Waiters on a layup. Green did not play in the second half after taking a knee to the groin in the first half.Second half was probably one of our better defensive halves and weve had some really good defensive halves in games this year, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. But thats about as hard as weve competed on that end.The Heat pulled within 87-83 with two minutes remaining, but the Spurs were able to extend their lead when Patty Mills and Leonard were fouled on consecutive possessions.Waiters, who tormented San Antonio in the playoffs last season while with Oklahoma City, had 27 points. He was 12 for 26 from the field but did not attempt a free throw.Thats the crazy part about, Im not the type of guy that would question the referees on anything, Waiters said. But I look at how many layup attempts I got tonight, like 15, and I havent gotten to the line one time.Center Hassan Whiteside had 23 points and 17 rebounds, giving him a double-double in eight of nine games this season.Gasol had 12 points, Parker added 11 points and six assists and Green was limited to three points in 15 minutes.The returning starters sparked a 21-6 run in the first quarter after the Spurs gave up the games first four points.Aldridge was 4 for 4 in the opening quarter, setting up on the wing and awaiting feeds from Leonard, Green and Patty Mills. Aldridge made his first seven shots before finishing 8 for 14.The Spurs nearly blew that early efficiency with a sloppy third quarter.We were out of sync a little bit with our offense, especially in the third, Leonard said. It starts off with me. Ive got to be more patient and run the offense.TIP-INSHeat: Miami PG Goran Dragic is no longer in a walking boot and is doing light bike work as he recovers from a sprained left ankle. Dragic missed his second straight game. ... F Derrick Williams made his first start of the season. He finished with five points and a rebound in 16 minutes. ... Miami completed its season series with San Antonio, marking the earliest the teams have done so in their history. The earliest series completion previously was Dec. 6, 2003.Spurs: Parker has played 34,798 career minutes, moving him past Clyde Drexler and Grant Hill into 70th on the career list. Parker also had at least 10 points and five assists for the 641st time in his career. ... San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich has 1,095 career wins, three shy of tying his mentor and friend Larry Brown.ROAD TRIPSan Antonio will embark on its longest trip of the season, playing four of its next five on the road starting Wednesday night in Sacramento.The Spurs are 5-0 away from home.Weve been playing pretty good on the road, Leonard said. Its the home games that have been bothering us. Its always tough to play on the road. Weve just got to focus in as always.NO. 2 is No. 1Leonard has the highest career winning percentage of any player in league history that has played in a minimum of 300 games. Leonards .775 winning percentage is higher than teammate Green (.745) and Hall of Famers Magic Johnson (.740) and Larry Bird (.736).UP NEXTHeat: Host Atlanta on Tuesday night.Spurs: At Sacramento on Wednesday night. Vans Outlet Italia . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Vans Scarpe In Offerta . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. http://www.vansscarpescontate.it/ . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Jonathan Lucroy is one of baseballs best catchers. Still, this hasnt been the easiest of weeks for the 2016 All-Star. On Saturday, the 30-year-old was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cleveland Indians -- a deal Lucroy rejected (the Indians were on his no-trade list) amid concerns he wouldnt get enough time behind the plate in 2017. I have to look out for me and my family, he says. I know Cleveland fans are mad at me right now, but my decision had zero to do with the quality of their team. On Monday, Lucroy was moved to the Texas Rangers with reliever Jeremy Jeffress as part of a deadline trade that included several minor league prospects. Here, Lucroy discusses the failed Cleveland deal and the moments before and after his trade to the Rangers -- a move he hopes will deliver him to his first playoff appearance in five years.When youre traded, youre never sure what to expect. Id never been dealt before, so this was a new experience for me. After our game on Saturday, against the Pirates, I was called into an office. Something was going down. The general manager, David Stearns, told me Id been traded. David said he couldnt say who got me because medical stuff needed to be cleared before it could be announced. I figured it must be a team that wasnt on my no-trade list, just because of everything that goes into that. Based on what Id seen online and what I heard from my agent, I knew the Mets, Indians, Dodgers and Rangers had shown interest. Cleveland was the only one of those teams on my no-trade list, so I ruled that out.It was already pretty clear there wasnt going to be much of a future for me in Milwaukee. Theyre in rebuilding mode, and they wouldnt want to pay to keep me there. I had a team option for 2017, and then that was it. Its the reality of the situation. I grew up in the organization, spent nearly 10 years with it. I love the fans, but this is all part of the game. You hear -- baseballs a business -- but it really is. They were figuring out their roster for the future, and I wanted to win now. Thats the landscape, and its something you have to deal with. So I got the news I was traded, and I was excited to know where I would play next. I knew itd be a competitive situation. I like being part of something bigger, like a cog in an engine. In Milwaukee, I didnt feel part of that because we werent winning. With a trade, Id be on a team that was working toward the playoffs.My agent, Doug Rogalski, found out it was the Indians that traded for me. I was surprised, but I wanted to keep an open mind. Great team. Competitive team. Theres a real chance to win. Doug called Chris Antonetti, the Indians president. There was one thing we wanted to know: What was my future with the Indians? We knew Cleveland already had a good catcher, Yan Gomes, whos injured right now. Hes getting paid more than me, and hes younger than me. We knew theyd probably want him catching almost every day next year. Heck, if I were the general manager in Cleveland, Id want Gomes catching every day.We were right. Antonetti told Doug that the Indians couldnt make any promises on me catching next season. There was no way theyd drop the team option, either, because Im pretty inexpensive in 2017. I dont blame them. I would have been mostly at first base and designated hitter. In the end, that was the deal killer. Doug called me. He said, Youre not going there.Cleveland fans dont like that part, but its nothing against them. It wasnt personal. If anything, I have even more respect for the Indians because of Antonettis honesty. He could have lied to my agent and said Id play catcher every day next season. But he didnt. He told the truth. Im thankful for that. My decision not to go to Cleveland had nothing to do with the team, but it had everything to do with my future in this game. It was an economic decision. Period. I have to look out for my familys best interests and my interests as a catcher whod be going into 2018 not having played my position the previous year. I am a catcher. Ive been catching since I was 12 years old. I love being behind the plate, being involved in the game from that perspective. I love every part of that. Im not changing positions for anybody. I dont care who it is. My value is as a catcher, and I know it.So we blocked the trade. And then we waited.Things werent dead. I knew I could still be moved. I was in a good position. If I were traded, it would be to a team that was in the playoff race. That was obvious. Doug knew there would be teams that would try to re-engage with the Brewers. I was hoping the Rangers were still interested. Dallas was our No. 1 target. My wife is from Louisiana, I went to college in Louisiana, and we still live in that state, so this was really close to home for us. If we could pick a perfect spot to go as a family, and for competitive baseball,, the Dallas area was the place. Vans Scarpe Uomo Scontate. They know their sports in Texas. Great fans. Great facilities. Great team. We have a lot of friends there. We were hoping the Rangers were still interested.My manager, Craig Counsell, put me in as a pinch hitter on Sunday. It was a day before the trade deadline, and no one knew if I was wearing a Brewers uniform for the last time. I got a standing ovation, and it meant a lot to me. I dug into the batters box, and I was in limbo. I figured if this is my last at-bat here, its my last at-bat. If not, well see what happens. I flied out. It wasnt much of a storybook ending.Afterward I felt a little sad, a little excited. Honestly, I was scared because I didnt know what was going to happen next. I was thinking about my wife, Sarah, and our young daughter, Ellia. If I got traded, how would it impact them? How would we get our stuff to our new city? Theyd be by themselves, sorting things out, and I wouldnt be there to help. But I had to keep going like nothing was going to change in our lives. My general manager had told me I wasnt going to be dealt unless the team liked what it was getting in return. They werent just going to give me away.I decided to take a flight out of Chicago for San Diego, because thats where the Brewers were playing next. It was Monday, just before the trade deadline. If I wasnt traded, Id have to be in San Diego, ready to go. I was in a parking lot at OHare International Airport when Doug called. It was 2:50 p.m. Central time. Ten minutes before the deadline. Doug said Ken Rosenthal tweeted that Id been traded to the Rangers. I was totally calm about it. I said, Ill stay here and wait for confirmation from David. Five minutes later, I got the call. It was really straightforward: Hey, we just traded you to the Rangers. Its official. I left Chicago and headed for Miller Park.I called my wife and told her what was happening. Shed been a nervous wreck leading up to this point, and now I heard the excitement in her voice. I called my parents. I called my agent. Jon Daniels, the Rangers general manager, called me and said he was glad I was joining the team. Less than an hour earlier, I didnt know what was happening, and now I wound up getting traded to the team with the best record in the American League. You can say anything you want about what Ive said in the past about wanting to get traded to a winner and then blocking the trade to Cleveland. Well, guess what? I did get traded to a winner.Finally, I got back to Milwaukee and went into the Brewers clubhouse. I grabbed some catchers equipment. It was royal colored. I grabbed some spikes that matched, and I got some clothes. The Brewers would have to box up the rest of my locker and ship it to me. David knew I was at the park, so he came down and met me at one of the stadiums entrances. We shook hands. Then I was gone. I went home, kissed my wife, grabbed some more clothes. My daughter was off playing with friends, but I had to leave. Texas was playing in Baltimore on Tuesday, and I had to get to the airport. I kissed my wife again and said, Ill see you in a couple weeks. Thats the life of a baseball player.The last time I was in a playoff race was 2014, but we fell apart in mid-August and blew it. The last time I was in the playoffs was 2011, my first full season as a major leaguer. I still remember Mark Kotsay, one of our veterans, standing up and telling us we didnt understand how hard it was to make it to the playoffs. He told us that guys played their entire careers without making it to the postseason. He said it might not happen for any of us again. I heard that, and I was like, Cmon. No way thats happening. I thought we could go every year. I was spoiled. I was also dead wrong. I learned a lesson from that. Dont take things for granted.Texas made a sacrifice to bring me in. They gave up some good prospects. By making that sacrifice, theyre telling me they need me here to win. When a players on a team, wherever it is, you want to have that wanted and needed feeling. It makes you feel like youre part of something. We arent in the playoffs yet, but we have all the pieces. Im already falling in love with this roster. We have two players in our lineup who are Hall of Fame guys: Adrian Beltre and Carlos Beltran. Those two dudes are unbelievable. Im honored to play with them, and I know Im going to be a better baseball player being around them. Ive only played on the road for Texas, but I cant wait to play a home game.When I step to the plate there, Im going to take it all in. Im going to take all of this in. I know I had nothing to do with the Rangers getting to where they are now, but I want to have a lot to do with finishing the job. ' ' '