PHOENIX -- Mike Hazen seemingly had the perfect job, working in his hometown as the general manager of the Boston Red Sox. Warren Sapp Authentic Jersey .One aspect was missing: Final say in baseball decisions. That belonged to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.So even though Arizona is on the other side of the country and the franchise has been stuck in a rut, Hazen jumped at the chance to become vice president and general manager of the Diamondbacks.There are some great players here, and my job is to help bring this franchise to the next level, Hazen said during his introductory news conference Monday. Its an enormous responsibility and were here to make a commitment to the fans. First and foremost, were here to win a championship.The Diamondbacks were searching for someone with a blend of traditional baseball evaluation skills and analytics after firing GM Dave Stewart a day after the 2016 season end.The 40-year-old Hazen fits that bill.He was a two-time All-Ivy League player at Princeton. After graduating, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1998 and played two seasons in the minors.Hazen then spent five seasons with the Cleveland Indians, working in scouting and player development, before moving to Boston. He worked 11 seasons with the Red Sox, winning World Series titles in 2007 and 2013 while making the postseason five times.Hazen was involved in every aspect of baseball operations in Boston and spent four seasons as assistant GM before being promoted to vice president and general manager before the 2016 season.Hes been a part of championships; hes been a leader; hell be a leader here and will, without a doubt, outwork us all, Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick said.Hazens first order of business will be to replace manager Chip Hale, who was fired the same day as Stewart.Hazen could turn to Phil Nevin, the manager of Arizonas Triple-A affiliate, who interviewed for the job before Hale was hired.Another potential candidate could be Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, who has a good relationship with Hazen.In my opinion, he is ready to be a major league manager, Dombrowski said from Boston. Whether he would be their top choice, I cant say. We would not stand in his way.After that, Hazen will begin reshaping an organization that has had only brief periods of success since winning the 2001 World Series.Arizona won the 2011 NL West title, but followed that with five straight non-winning seasons. The Diamondbacks went 79-83 in their first season under Stewart and Hale, but took a step back this season (69-93) despite adding pitchers Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.I want to help in any way possible in my role to make this a great franchise -- it is a great franchise -- to take it to another level, Hazen said. It will be my goal every day I come to work; itll be the goal of all those who work beside me, and Im excited to start doing that.With the addition of Hazen, the role of Tony La Russa will change with the Diamondbacks. He has served as chief baseball officer the past two seasons but will shift back into an advisory role.I have 50 years of teaching and developed credibility and trust, La Russa said. If I left after the season we had, I couldnt live with that the rest of my life. Cameron Brate Buccaneers Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Lee Roy Selmon Womens Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.thebuccaneersfansclub.com/Black-Friday-Lee-Roy-Selmon-Jersey/ .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.ATLANTA -- The new-look Atlanta Hawks signed two-time All-Star Elton Brand on Monday, picking up a player who can bolster their depth in the frontcourt and provide veteran leadership in the locker room. The 34-year-old Brand averaged 7.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season with the Dallas Mavericks. He played in 72 games, with 18 starts. While clearly not the player he once was, the Hawks intend to use the 6-foot-9 Brand in a backup role behind centre Al Horford and power forward Paul Millsap. "Elton brings a veteran presence both on and off the court and is a welcomed addition to our locker room," general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. "His ability to play centre or power forward will give our frontcourt a great deal of versatility and we think he will be an outstanding fit to our program." Contract terms werent disclosed. Brand was the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA draft. He also has played with the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia during his 14-year career, with averages of 17.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks. He was picked for the All-NBA second team in the 2005-06 season. The Hawks have undergone a massive makeover heading into Ferrys seccond full season as GM. Mike Alstott Womens Jersey. Last summer, he dealt away starters Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. Last week, the Hawks were outbid for longtime stalwart Josh Smith, who agreed to a four-year, $54-million contract with the Detroit Pistons. Ferry struck out in his bid to land former Lakers centre Dwight Howard, but the Hawks did acquire forward Paul Millsap with a $19-million, two-year deal and matched Milwaukees $32-million, four-year offer to point guard Jeff Teague, a restricted free agent. The team also re-signed 3-point specialist Kyle Korver, agreed to a deal with free-agent forward DeMarre Carroll, and landed a couple of foreign players in the first round of the draft: point guard Dennis Schroder from Germany and 7-foot centre Lucas Nogueira from Brazil. Matching the deal for Teague is perhaps the most significant move of the off-season. Last season, he posted career highs with 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game, the latter figure ranking 12th in the league. "He has improved each year of his career and continues to get better," Ferry said. "At 25, hes already been a key contributor on a playoff team and we look forward to seeing him develop into even more of a leader on our team." Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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