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rn and step toward and throw to first base. This is legal." Hence, no balk. Not yet, anyway. "Major
Topic Started: May 17 2014, 08:37 AM (9 Views)
zake201
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana needs to find a long-term replacement for Danny Granger. Team officials announced Wednesday that the one-time All-Star forward is expected to miss up to three months after receiving an injection in his left knee to treat patellar tendinosis. Losing Granger for an extended period is a big blow for a team that entered this season hoping to contend for an Eastern Conference title. He was the Pacers top scorer last season (18.7 points) and is typically their first option in late-game situations, too. All the Pacers can do now is move on. "We still have a heck of a team," coach Frank Vogel said before Saturday nights home opener. "Weve still got a great deal of talent, a great deal of depth. So my hopes are very high that well excel without Danny." Granger originally hurt the knee during Mays playoff run. Vogel said the soreness dissipated for a while, then returned while Granger was working out during the off-season. In September, Granger said he underwent blood-platelet treatment, which he described as a painful experience that could take months to fully heal. "It hurts," Granger said in mid-October. "They take the blood out and inject it back in, so it hurts. But it helps you heal tremendously." Apparently, Granger hasnt reaped those benefits yet. He has not played in any of Indianas first four regular season games, though he did make one preseason appearance. At Cleveland, on Oct. 23, Granger scored nine points in 13 minutes. Without him, things havent always gone smoothly. The Pacers (2-2) are averaging 20.3 turnovers a game, a number Vogel has already acknowledged needs to be cut significantly. Vogel is also trying to figure out lineups and rotations without Granger. Gerald Green, signed as a free agent in the off-season, started the first three games. Hes scoring 9.8 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds, but giving up 2.5 turnovers per game. On Monday night at San Antonio, Sam Young moved into the starting lineup and finished with three points and three rebounds in a 101-79 loss. Grangers absence has been more notable in the closing moments of games. Indiana looked out of sync in the final minute last Friday at Charlotte and couldnt take advantage of several chances to win at lowly Charlotte. Instead, they wound up losing 90-89 -- the Bobcats first win in 24 games. The next night, against Sacramento, Indiana missed two shots at the end of regulation and two more at the end of the first overtime before finally getting past Sacramento 106-98 in double overtime. Even opponents have noticed a difference. "Maybe if you have him (Granger) he closes that (Charlotte) game out," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "Not having your go-to guy can change a lot of things." But instead of building this team around a superstar, the Pacers decided to reinforce their bench. Theyre hoping that will take them go deeper into the playoffs than last seasons second-round exit against Miami. That decision could serve them well now. David West, Paul George and George Hill are all scoring in double figures. All-Star centre Roy Hibbert is averaging 8.8 points 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. And Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson have given the Pacers good minutes off the bench. So Vogel remains optimistic. Granger has averaged 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in seven NBA seasons. cheap jerseys from china . Mathews was injured on his first carry of the preseason in the first quarter and did not return to the game. He is expected to have surgery Friday morning and coach Norv Turner said hell be out four to six weeks. wholesale jerseys . Title contenders Bradley Wiggins of Britain and defending champion Cadel Evans trailed close behind in the pack after the 198-kilometre loop from Liege to suburban Seraing featuring five low-grade climbs. http://www.wholesalejerseyfreeshipping.us/ . -- Arkansas football team was in mourning Sunday following the death of backup tight end Garrett Uekman. wholesale nfl jerseys . A football player, lets call him Quarterback X, has an extraordinary college career that includes winning the Heisman Trophy and leading his team to a national championship while playing in the SEC, the toughest NCAA conference there is. cheap jerseys . The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, got nothing but bad news. Brandon Jennings scored 28 points and Milwaukee gained ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 121-84 rout over the Cavaliers. NEW YORK -- Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano stepped toward third base and bluffed a pickoff throw, then twirled and made a soft toss to first. No dice, the Tampa Bay runners didnt fall for that ol trick -- theyd seen it too often. Starting next year, no one might ever see that exact play again. Major League Baseball is poised to pick off the much-maligned move, the fake-to-third, throw-to-first ploy that often succeeds only in getting the whole ballpark to shout "Balk!" "I think they should get rid of it," Yankees reliever Boone Logan said. "Us lefties cant do that. If we do, they call a balk." "Besides, how often does it work? Maybe once in never," he said. The Playing Rules Committee has approved a proposal to make it a balk, too, with MLB executives and umpires in agreement. The players union vetoed the plan for this season to discuss it further. MLB is allowed to implement the change after a one-year wait -- no telling whether that would happen if players strongly object. Under the new wording, a pitcher could not fake to third unless he first stepped off the rubber. If he stayed on the rubber, as Soriano did Wednesday night, it would be a balk. Most every pitcher now makes the move the same way Soriano did. "Some people think youre just trying to deceive the runner at first, that you have no real intention of getting the guy at third," Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Youre not trying so much to get a guy off third. Youre not going to do that very often," he said. "But it can be a huge deterrent for the runner at first." Scioscia is a member of Commissioner Bud Seligs panel for on-field issues. Would Scioscia be sorry to see the play tossed? "I dont know if sorry is the right word. It means youll just have to find another way to control the running game," he said. Scioscias team has had great success using what some clubs call the "horn" play -- the naame comes from managers extending their index and pinky fingers in a "Hook em Horns" gesture, indicating opposing runners at first and third.dddddddddddd Last August, with Los Angeles leading 6-4 at Yankee Stadium, New York put men at the corners with two outs in the ninth inning. Rookie Jordan Walden bluffed toward third a couple of times, then did it again and trapped Curtis Granderson off first for the final out. This year, the Angels struck again in the Bronx when starter Ervin Santana faked to third and nailed Brett Gardner at first. The play is specifically addressed in the Official Baseball Rules under Rule 8.05 (c), which states: "It is possible, with runners on first and third, for the pitcher to step toward third and not throw, merely to bluff the runner back to third; then seeing the runner on first start for second, turn and step toward and throw to first base. This is legal." Hence, no balk. Not yet, anyway. "Major League Baseball and the players decide what the rules of baseball are. We just enforce them," longtime umpire Jim Joyce said. New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, chairman of the Playing Rules Committee, points out "its evolved over time whats acceptable on what you can do at different bases." A bluff to third is legal, for example, but the same fake to first is not. Fleet San Francisco leadoff man Angel Pagan isnt too worried about whether the move is made illegal. "Ive been dealing with it my whole career," he said. "Theyre always trying to do something to trick you." Same first-and-third trap they pulled in Reggie Jacksons day. The Hall of Famer is known for his slugging, yet he also stole 228 bases. "I wish they wouldnt get rid of it. That plays been part of the game forever," he said. "But I guess thats part of change." A pickoff move thats been part of baseball strategy for years might get picked off next season. ' ' '
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