luding a trip to the Battle4Atlantis | Forum

This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. Chris Doleman Womens Jersey . 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Texas RangersOverall: 10 Title track: 42 Ownership: 31 Coaching: 20 Players: 15 Fan relations: 17 Affordability: 13 Stadium experience: 20 Bang for the buck: 21 Change from last year: +42A new menu item at Globe Life Park this season is The Wicked Pig, a $27 sandwich that puts pulled pork, bacon, prosciutto, ham and BBQ sauce on a sweet Hawaiian roll with sides of pork rinds and coleslaw. Its huge -- just like the Rangers 42-point improvement in our overall standings, the best of any MLB team. After two seasons languishing in the middle of the pack, the Rangers are a top-20 Ultimate Standings franchise for the fourth time in six years.Whats goodThe Rangers didnt just win -- they won in style, compiling a 36-11 record in one-run games, the best single-season mark by any team in at least a century. Average home attendance was up almost 3,000 per game to 33,461. A solid 20th ranking in coaching is courtesy of Jeff Banister, the third manager in the wild-card era to win division titles in his first two seasons with the club. The Rangers have always ranked high in affordability, and that continued with a No. 13 ranking, the highest of any category. The average ticket price of $23.64 is the fourth lowest in the majors. No team with a winning record has prices that reasonable, which accounts for the teams No. 21 bang for the buck.Whats badOther than a disappointing 51st-place showing in title track (which an ALDS sweep wont help), not much is off in Texas. Globe Life Park still rates a very respectable 20th in stadium experience, but the searing Texas heat and the absence of a retractable roof are getting to be too much to bear. The smallest crowd of the year -- 20,720 -- came on an afternoon game in Arlington with a heat index of 105 degrees. Things might change after the Rangers announced plans to build a new, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, assuming the proposition passes in Novembers election. Taxpayers could be on the hook for a nice portion of the $1 billion price tag, which would give them another reason to sweat.Whats newTexas overcame a rash of injuries to win its second straight AL West title, and fans respected that grittiness, with a 56-point leap in players to 15th overall. There has also been a major thaw in the way fans view co-chairman Ray Davis, as the Rangers rose to No. 31 in ownership, a 43-point vault. The controversial decision to replace franchise icon Nolan Ryan a few years ago still lingered, but it was apparently nothing a few playoff appearances couldnt change.Next: Baltimore Orioles?| Full rankings John Randle Vikings Jersey . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Alan Page Youth Jersey . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. http://www.authenticvikingspro.com/John-randle-vikings-jersey/ . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. LOS ANGELES -- Once UCLA got going, there was no stopping the Bruins.T.J. Leaf scored 21 points and fellow freshman Lonzo Ball added 20 in 16th-ranked UCLAs 114-77 victory over Long Beach State on Sunday night.If we hit a couple early, we can get really hot, said Bryce Alford, who finished with 15 points. We become really hard to guard because guys get in a rhythm.The Bruins dominated from the opening tip, topping 100 points for the third time in four games. They raced to a 19-5 lead while the 49ers missed six of their first seven shots and committed six turnovers.Theyre the best offensive team weve seen, Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said.Leaf had nine rebounds and Ball had 11 assists for the Bruins (4-0), who have blown out their first four opponents by an average of 27.7 points.I dont put any pressure on myself, said Ball, who arrived in Westwood amid great expectations. The game of basketball is fun to me, and I go out there and do what I do.The Bruins hit 12 3-pointers, including five by Alford, who made his first five before missing once.This was the best we played, UCLA coach Steve Alford said. We had great energy, great focus, did tremendous things offensively. Defensively, this was the best that weve been.Loren Jackson scored a career-high 15 points to lead the 49ers (1-4), and Noah Blackwell added 12. They had a season-high 11 3-pointers.We know now what we need to do, Monson said. We are getting some resistance from guys not doing what they need to do. Weve been exposed, which is why you play this schedule.Leaf and Ball had five dunks between them in the first half. Leaf had the first three and then Ball scored off an alley-oop pass from Isaac Hamilton and had a one-handed fast-break jam.With the Bruins leading by 40 in the second half, Ball and Aaron Holiday wowed the crowd on a fast break. Holiday tossed the ball off the glass, and Ball, trailing behind, caught it and slammed it in.I think it was his third-best dunk, Leaf said. The other two should definitely be in `SportsCenter top 10. They were three pretty crazy dunks.Alford hit four of UCLAs seven 3-pointers in the first half to help the Bruins lead 56-37 at the break.The 49ers also made seven 3s in the half, getting three in a row late, but that didnt help them reduce their double-digiit deficit. Jalyn Holmes Jersey. eaf came out shooting to open the second half, scoring the Bruins first seven points.Alford and Hamilton hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the right corner. Hamilton finished with 18 points and Holiday had 16 points.Big man Thomas Welsh launched the Bruins on an 18-5 run that stretched their lead from 24 points to 37 points. Hamilton scored eight points and Welsh and Holiday chipped in four apiece to keep the Bruins ahead 87-50.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Bruins could move up a spot or two in the rankings after losses by No. 13 Michigan State and No. 15 Purdue.TIP-INSLong Beach St: F Gabe Levin, who came in averaging a team-leading 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, was held to eight points. G Evan Payne had seven, under his 10.8 average. ... The 49ers fell to 1-15 all-time against the Bruins, having lost at Pauley Pavilion for the third straight year. ... They had a season-high 23 turnovers.UCLA: The Bruins had 27 assists on 46 field goals. ... They made 10 of 11 free throws and are close to averaging 80 percent from the line, a major improvement from previous seasons. ... The elder Alford turns 52 on Wednesday.BIG PICTURELong Beach St.: The 49ers have lost to three straight ranked opponents -- No. 5 North Carolina by 37 points, No. 12 Louisville by 32 and now UCLA -- while traveling 4,492 miles to play four consecutive road games. In all, they will travel over 23,000 miles by the time their nonconference schedule is completed, including a trip to the Battle4Atlantis in the Bahamas.UCLA: The Bruins have enjoyed a favorable schedule so far in November with five home games and a trip to nearby Orange County on tap. Theyll find it much tougher to start December with a visit to No. 2 Kentucky, a neutral court game against Ohio State in Las Vegas and a trip to No. 4 Oregon to open Pac-12 play.UP NEXTLong Beach St.: The 49ers visit their second straight Pac-12 opponent, Washington, on Tuesday, capping five consecutive road games.UCLA: The Bruins play Portland in an opening round game at the Wooden Legacy on Thursday in Fullerton.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25