ANAHEIM, Calif.
Nike Free Run 3.0 Flyknit . -- The Anaheim
Ducks have acquired forward Logan Shaw from the Florida Panthers in a trade for
forward Michael Sgarbossa.The clubs announced the deal Wednesday.Sgarbossa had
two assists in nine games with the Ducks after starting the season in the AHL.
He has three points in 29 career NHL games with Anaheim and Colorado.Shaw has
five goals and two assists in 53 games with the Panthers. He spent most of the
previous three seasons in the AHL, but appeared in three playoff games for
Florida last spring.Shaw is a former third-round pick by Florida, while the
Ducks acquired Sgarbossa from the Avalanche in March 2015.
Nike Free Rn Flyknit Womens ., and Rudi
Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK
Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition.
Nike Free 3.0 Flyknit Mens . Scott Kazmir
allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer
in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL
wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.
http://www.nikefreernaustralia.com/nike-free-rn-flyknit-australia.html
.Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold
medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N.
This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 3 Cubs Issue. Subscribe
today!THE CIRCLE IS perfect. Like a target. Or the Cubs logo, which, come to
think of it, looks like a target.The crowded diagram, drawn on Joe Maddons iPad,
embodies the talk the manager gave to the Cubs on Feb. 24, the first full day of
spring training in Mesa, Arizona. The handwriting is striking -- the product of
a Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Catholic school education, he says -- and so is the
arrow that pierces the circle, with feathers looking like the seams of a
baseball and an arrowhead that could very well be a hell-bent trip around the
bases. The method to the madness can be seen scribbled at the very top: Pressure
[Is] a Motivator, a Positive, an Indicator You Are in the Right Place.The circle
might also stand for the sun that has been shining on the Cubs this season. With
the exception of one day, April 8, when they trailed the 4-0 Pirates by one
game, Chicago has been on the north side of the NL Central standings.Winning is
nothing new for Maddons Cubs: They made it to the NLCS last year in his first
season at the helm, only to be swept by the Mets. But heading into the final
three weeks of the season, they were on pace to win 104 games, which would be
their highest regular-season total since 1910, which is two years after they won
their last ... all right, we wont mention it.Whats most fascinating is what
Maddon wrote inside and around the circle. Almost everything seems prescient
now, which is one reason the glyph has become a popular fan T-shirt made and
sold by Korked Baseball-emblazoned with horn-rimmed glasses on the front,
diagram on the back. (A significant portion of the proceeds go to Maddons
Respect 90 Foundation.)As starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks listened to Maddons
talk that day in February, he was transported back to Dartmouth College, where
he was an economics major. It really was like being in a really cool class with
a really cool professor, Hendricks says. Im not sure I totally understood
everything he was saying, but we all walked out of there with smiles on our
faces. We were ready to embrace the target.It was that circle, and the messages
inside and orbiting it, that set the stage for this season.1. Embrace the
TargetMaddon first began formulating his message back at baseballs winter
meetings last December, after the Cubs had acquired outfielder Jason Heyward,
second baseman Ben Zobrist and starter John Lackey. They have that media scrum
for managers, Maddon says, and everybody is talking about the pressure and the
expectations, that we were the team to beat, and I thought, Well, we better
embrace our position rather than run away from it. At the time, he also checked
out a book from the substantial library in his head: Tom Clancys Clear and
Present Danger. Theres a scene when the presidents spin doctors are telling him
he has to distance himself from his friend who was killed by a drug cartel. But
the hero, Jack Ryan, steps in and says, No, Mr. President. Not only was he your
friend, he was your best friend, and you have to address it. Sometimes its
better to run toward the fire.It almost goes without saying that there is a
second meaning to target for the Cubs. Maddon wants them to relish their status
as the bulls-eye for the other NL teams. With that confidence, they might better
be able to hit what theyre aiming for: a championship. Just dont think about the
enormity of ending 108 years of frustration.With all due respect to our faithful
fans, he says, I will not get caught up in that 1908 stuff. I wasnt here for all
the years of pain, and neither were any of my players or coaches. Its a big
enough target as it is. This is about now, not then.2. We All Have to Set Aside
Our Personal AgendasThere is one thing that Maddon always writes on his
otherwise unpredictable lineup cards: DNBAFF. Thats his reminder to set aside
his own biases. Do not be a f---ing fan, he says. You can get caught up in the
game, just like everybody else in the park. But I cant play favorites and hope
this guy gets a hit or that guy gets an out. I have to make decisions based on
data and common sense. I have to manage every game to win.The trademark of
Maddons Rays (he managed them from 2006 to 2014) and Cubs has been flexibility,
meaning players are often asked to think more about the team and less about
themselves. That came into play right away on April 7, when highly touted
outfielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber was lost for the season because of an ACL
injury he suffered in an outfield collision with center fielder Dexter
Fowler.Fortunately, the Cubs have Kris Bryant, who has played third base, first
base, shortstop and all three outfield positions; Zobrist, who plays in the
outfield when hes not at second base; and Javier Baez, whos played everywhere
but pitcher and catcher. Theres no certainty in a Maddon lineup.3. All Do Our
JobsThis goes hand in hand with No. 2. Your position may change, or you might be
called on to start when youve been sitting on the bench for a week, Maddon says.
That 9 on 1 in parentheses [on the whiteboard] is to remind them that defense is
very much a team effort and offense is one against nine.Baez, of course, has
taken the utility player description to a new level. On offense, the 23-year-old
free swinger had 13 homers, 50 RBIs and a .271 batting avverage through Sept.
Nike Free Rn Black. 12, and on defense,
Maddon says, hes a game changer. Indeed, the Cubs would not lead the majors in
defensive runs saved without the 17 Baez has provided -- 11 at second, four at
short and two at third. Nobody in baseball is quicker with a tag.Baez is also
indirectly responsible for the saying that inspired the most popular Maddon
T-shirt: At the Cubs convention in January, Baez told the audience of the
jocular advice Joe gave him when he joined the team last year: Try not to
suck.4. Know We Are Not Perfect but Can Be PresentI dont want anyone to ever go
[on the field] afraid to make a physical mistake because that will lead to a
mental mistake, Maddon says.In baseball, somebody can find fault with anybody:
Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta was stuck in the Orioles minor league system
when the Cubs acquired him in 2013. Free agent Dexter Fowler happily returned to
the club in February after getting the runaround from the Os. Rookie sensation
Willson Contreras was on nobodys radar his first six years in the Cubs
organization. Jon Lester is having the best season of his career, so who really
cares if hes reluctant to throw to first base?Tommy La Stella, a versatile
left-handed hitter, was forced to face criticism and disappointment in
mid-August when the club sent him down. When he responded by not reporting,
Maddon was understanding: I was young once and reading Kurt Vonnegut, so I kind
of know what hes going through. Well just give him his space.After a week of
reflection, La Stella decided to report to Double-A. Now hes back with the big
club, providing a left-handed bat off the bench.5. We Are Our Own Little Planet
and 6. Rotate Around Same GoalThe Cubs bought into these dual concepts from the
start. We have this remarkable blend of experience and youth, Maddon says of the
clubhouse atmosphere. The older guys watch out for the younger guys. They can be
hard on them when they do something wrong, but theyre the first ones out of the
dugout when they do something right.Its interesting to note that of the four
Cubs the fans voted to start in the infield for the All-Star Game, first baseman
Anthony Rizzo and second baseman Zobrist, the right side, were proven veterans;
shortstop Addison Russell and third baseman Bryant, the left side, were
sophomores.Yet the emergence of Contreras at catcher best embodies the one-world
philosophy on Planet Cubs. The kid has been great, Maddon says. But its not just
about him. Its about David Ross and Miguel Montero taking him under their wing
and helping him even though it may mean fewer at-bats for them.BELOW THE CIRCLE,
the manager laid out two of his other tenets:Do Simple BetterMaddon wants his
players to reduce the game to its essence. Thats why he holds an annual American
Legion Week in mid-August, letting the players arrive at the ballpark later than
usual to remind them of the days when they just got out of their car and played
Legion ball. Its all part of Maddons belief that for all the benefits that video
and data have brought to pitching and defense, they can work to constrict a
hitter who thinks too much. If you had Kris Bryant, wouldnt you want him to do
what comes naturally?The Process Is FearlessThis is something Maddon freely
admits that he borrowed from legendary NFL assistant coach Tom Moore, whose
philosophy is that if you concentrate on the little things, youll eventually
arrive at the Big Thing. There are four little definitions underneath the header
to explain The Process -- it lacks emotions, its the moment, its the mental
anchor, it simplifies the task. Case in point: On Aug. 10, the Cubs were holding
a 2-0 lead over the Angels in the top of the eighth inning when rookie reliever
C.J. Edwards was called on to face the heart of the order -- Mike Trout, Albert
Pujols, Andrelton Simmons -- with runners on second and third. He struck out
Trout and got Pujols and Simmons to ground out. Asked after the Cubs 3-1 victory
whether he was worried about facing Trout and Pujols in that situation, Edwards
simplified to concentrate on making the right pitch. I just pulled my hat down
more so I dont see their faces, he said.BY MAY 8, the Cubs were three games up
on the 27 Yankees, but they couldnt quite sustain their hot start. As they
headed into a brutal part of their schedule before the All-Star break, they
became the target that Maddon had warned they would.Chicago Sun-Times columnist
Rick Telander pushed the panic button, suggesting on July 8 that Maddons shtick
might be wearing thin. It was time to right the ship, Joe, he wrote.Maddon
stayed the course. He usually addresses the troops three times a year -- spring
training, midway through the season and before the postseason. As it happens, he
chose that very day -- a Friday when the team was about to start a three-game
series in Pittsburgh -- to call a meeting.He came full circle, handing out new
copies of the talk he had given back in February. Says Zobrist, It was his way
of reminding us that this is still a very good team and that we needed to stay
on target. Not just for a division title, not just to win the NLCS and get to
the World Series. The real target is to win the last game of the season.
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