munity charity races to build up his stamina.On his daily drive to AmericanAirlines Arena, Spoelstra ofte | Forum

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NEW YORK -- The Blair Pitch Project started to show results for the Atlanta Braves. Jeff Teague Jersey .Using a revised windup developed during a brief trip to the minor leagues, Aaron Blair won for the first time in 13 major league starts and helped the Braves slow the New York Mets wild-card chase with a 7-3 victory Monday night.Acquired from Arizona along with Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte in Decembers trade that sent Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks, Blair had been 0-6 with an 8.23 ERA in his first 12 big league starts, including 0-2 in three outings against the Mets.Its frustrating giving up runs and going out, not getting a win for your team, but tonight was good, Blair said.Freddie Freeman, getting little sleep after bringing his newborn son home from a hospital late Sunday, drove in three runs off a misfiring Noah Syndergaard. Freeman had four hits for the Braves, who have the worst record in the National League, and Swanson had three hits and three RBI.Blair, a 24-year-old right-hander selected 36th overall in the 2013 amateur draft, went on the disabled list after an Aug. 28 loss because of a strained left knee, then worked on his mechanics during two injury rehabilitation starts in the minors. Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell wanted him to cut down on the turn in his rotation, to reach out farther with his pitching arm and to stay more upright.Obviously, giving up a run per inning wasnt great, so I was up for any changes, Blair said.Activated to start against the Mets, Blair (1-6) did not allow a hit until the fourth, when Curtis Granderson singled and T.J. Rivera hit a two-run homer.Blair gave up six hits in six innings, struck out four and walked one, lowering his ERA to 7.71.All the hard work that hes put in and making changes and sticking to it, not reverting back in stressful situations, its nice to see him rewarded for it, Braves manager Brian Snitker said. He got a good downhill plane going, I thought, and obviously some of those changeups they were swinging over had some late action.Blair was given the ball from the final out and received more than 50 text messages of congratulations.I was able to make pitches when I needed to, and if they hit the ball, they just hit it right at guys, he said. So some of the line drives I was on the luckier side.Syndergaard (13-9) allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings, and Atlanta fouled off 26 of his 99 pitches. He started to falter in a 35-pitch second that included consecutive walks and RBI singles by Swanson and Inciarte, the first on a 99.9 mph fastball and the second on a slider.Freeman led off the third with an opposite-field homer to left, extending his streaks for hits to 23 games and for reaching base to 39. Freeman then reached down to slice an opposite-field, two-run double in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.Freeman could barely keep his eyes open afterward.I got nothing left. I left it all out there, he said. I can hardly think right now.OH SO CLOSERio Ruiz, a 22-year-old Braves third base prospect, had been announced as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning Sunday in his major league debut when Washington changed pitchers, rain started to fall and the tarp was brought out. The game, which had been interrupted for 1 hour, 7 minutes in the sixth, was called after a 1:50 wait. His parents, who changed their flight to stay after the first rain delay, did not make the trip to New York and headed back to Los Angeles.Theres nothing frustrating about being here in the majors leagues, he said. Im still all smiling.ROTATIONRHP Ryan Weber will start for the Braves in Wednesdays series finale, his second start this season and the seventh of his big league career.GREAT GLOVEBraves LF Matt Kemp, a two-time Gold Glove winner, ran in for diving catches in the seventh on Michael Conforto and Alejandro De Aza.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, hit on the left calf by Marcell Ozunas liner on Sept. 12, is playing catch and walking on a treadmill. Snitker said he could return this season.UP NEXTJulio Teheran (5-10) is to start Tuesday for the Braves and RHP Robert Gsellman (2-1) for the Mets, Teheran is 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA against New York in three starts this year. Vince Carter Jersey .  Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Doc Rivers Jersey . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. https://www.cheaphawks.com/1334r-steve-smith-jersey-hawks.html . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hours after 18-year NBA professional Ray Allen announced his retirement, his former coach, Erik Spoelstra, was already nostalgic for a player he called truly one of a kind. The Miami Heat coach didnt have to be prompted to tell one Allen story after another.SPOELSTRAS ADMIRATION BEGAN?before he ever met the player, with extra practice.In the late 2000s, when the Heat were due to play Allens Celtics, Spoelstra kicked off every practice preparing the Heat for Allens Oh s--- moments. Those ones in which Allen would somehow, even though everyone was waiting for it, catch the defense blinking for a half a second and move into a different spot as if he was teleporting.Before doing anything else, we would just spend 20 minutes trying to prevent Ray from doing the unexpected -- the Oh s---, Spoelstra says now. You know, the Oh s---, howd he get there? or Oh s---, there he is! moments. Killed us for years.More often than not, the Oh S---! came with an Ah, s--- when he hit the shot.During Tuesdays news conference in Miami, Spoelstra found out that Allen had officially retired. Even though Allen hadnt played in two years, Spoelstra still was taken aback. Deep down, Spoelstra felt that Allens other-worldly work ethic and conditioning could keep the 41-year-old playing in todays NBA.... for another five years, Spoelstra says.SPOELSTRA REMEMBERS THE first time he met Allen. It happened one Thursday night during the first round of the 2010 playoffs when the fifth-seeded Heat had just been blown out in Games 1 and 2 in Boston.In an effort to unwind after a long flight to Miami and an even longer beatdown at the hands of Allens Celtics, Spoelstra decided to catch his favorite 6:30 p.m. spinning class at the local Four Seasons hotel. After the hourlong class, Spoelstra walked out the door and noticed a familiar face walking in for the next class at 7:30 p.m.It was Ray, Spoelstra recalls.This didnt make sense. Maybe it was a Ray Allen look-alike? Spoelstra dialed a Heat staffer, who confirmed that the Celtics had gone through a full practice earlier in the day and flew from Logan Airport down to Miami International Airport that evening.Spoelstra picked up his cell again, this time to dial the Four Seasons. Spoelstra needed to talk to the instructor.I was curious, Spoelstra recalls.Was that really Allen? Did he come in just to loosen up his joints after a long flight? A stretch to warm up the muscles? Maybe just a few minutes, right?The instructor, a devoted Heat fan, confirmed it was Allen.But dont worry about him, Coach, the Miami instructor told Spoelstra. I crushed him, double-time for an hour. He wanted it. But believe me, hell have no legs tomorrow.Allen torched the Heat for 25 points the next night.THE CELTICS WON Game 3 by two points and dispatched the Heat in five games, prompting the Heat to blow it all up and lay down a new foundation.Three months later, LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade with the Heat. The summer after the trio took down Boston and OKC en route to the 2012 title, Spoelstra and Riley met with Allen and later signed him.Spoelstra, of course, had heard stories about Allen. People called him Everyday Ray for a reason. He was obsessive and then some about his basketball routines. Hed come to the gym early and often, repeating the same motions, the same routes over and over.Like a wide receiver, Spoelstra says.But even still, Spoelstra couldnt believe what he saw during that first workout in September 2012, the week before Labor Day.Spoelstra laughs about it now. Allen was laying on his back under the basket. When a Heat assistant coach blew the whistle, Allen would get up off his back, backpedal to the corner as if being chased, and somehow precisely place his ffeet in the slot between the 3-point arc and the out-of-bounds line with only inches to spare. Taurean Prince Jersey. All in one motion. All without looking down.After all that, Allen would catch a pass and rise up for a 3-pointer.Pat [Riley] and I invented so many dumb drills over the years, but that, Spoelstra recalls, that ... was a new one on us.After watching the then-37-year-old do it dozens of times, Spoelstra stopped him.What on earth are you trying to accomplish here?Allen replied matter-of-factly.Offensive rebound, say I get knocked down after a layup and need to jump out for the corner 3, Allen told him. Gotta get in the habit. You never know.Allen performed that drill religiously for the ensuing weeks. And nine months after that September workout, Allen made perhaps the most famous clutch 3-pointer in NBA Finals history to force a Game 7.Offensive rebound. Backpedal out to the corner 3. In one motion, without looking down. Bang.IT WAS DECEMBER 2, 2012, in Washington D.C., and the Heat were finishing up a grueling practice ahead of a Wizards game. The team had three days between games, so Spoelstra decided to orchestrate one of the hardest practices of the season. Players groaned. They had just won six straight. Why the punishment? After practice, the whole team had started to gather their stuff for the bus. Allen stroked his shots as he normally does after practice.What was not normal: he was putting on a winter hat and gloves to go outside.Spoelstra told him to suck it up. Yeah, there was snow on the ground outside, but all of fifteen feet separated the gym door to the team bus. Allens hands couldnt endure the chill for two seconds?Apparently, Allen had other ideas.Ill see you at the hotel, Allen said. Im going for a run.The hotel was at least three miles away. The reigning MVP LeBron James saw Allen bundling up. So the uber-competitive James also suited up and jogged with him.Just a casual 5K among future Hall of Famers after practice.DURING THEIR TIME in Miami, James often tried to walk in Allens footsteps. He held rare, genuine reverence for his teammate of two years as if they had been teammates his whole career. In the 2013 playoffs, James even copied Allens routine at the free throw line. Three dribbles. Spin the ball. Collect. Rise off the heels. Release. He shot about 80 percent for the rest of the playoffs.Allens fingerprints can still be found on James game. That physics-defying pass?to Mike Dunleavy in the corner? That was a version of the hammer play that the Celtics used to run for Allen. Look it up. Doc Rivers drew it to free Allen for the game-winning shot in the 2011 playoffs against the New York Knicks. Except in that version, it was Kevin Garnett, not Tristan Thompson, setting the screen. Spoelstra stole it for James and Allen to use in Miami.The play tortured us for years, Spoelstra remembers.SINCE HE LAST played in the NBA, Allen has been in Miami with his family, helping to get his healthy fast-food restaurant off the ground in South Miami. You might know hes just about a scratch-golfer. In Miami, he once turned down a tee-time invitation from President Barack Obama because he had shootaround that morning with the team.But heres what you may not know: Hes a devoted long-distance runner now, taking part in community charity races to build up his stamina.On his daily drive to AmericanAirlines Arena, Spoelstra often spots a 6-foot-5, chiseled man with no shirt on, galloping in a fierce stride underneath the ruthless South Florida sun.Who is that? Spoelstra thinks to himself.It gets him every time.Oh s---, Spoelstra gasps. Its Ray. ' ' '