but an opportunity? Tate said. We went out there an | Forum

LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw agreed Wednesday to a $215 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, a deal that makes the two-time Cy Young Award winner baseballs first player with a $30 million average salary. Air Max Tavas Noir . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced. Kershaw receives the most lucrative deal for a pitcher, breaking the mark of $180 million set by Justin Verlander last March for his seven-year contract with Detroit. Kershaw would have been eligible for free agency after the upcoming season if the new deal hadnt been reached. He was eligible for salary arbitration, and those figures were set to be exchanged on Friday. He was coming off a two-year, $20 million deal that included $200,000 in bonuses in 2012, a $500,000 escalator to his 2013 base salary, and $300,000 in bonuses last year. General manager Ned Colletti said last week that both sides had been negotiating. "Its our desire to sign him here for a very long time," Colletti said. The average salary of $30.7 million tops the previous high of $27.5 million, set by the New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez as part of a 10-year agreement from December 2007. While Roger Clemens had a contract with a listed salary of $28 million with the Yankees in 2007, he joined the team in June and actually made $17.4 million. The Dodgers had baseballs second-highest payroll at the end of the regular season last fall -- more than $236 million. Kershaws agreement, first reported by ESPN.com, is baseballs seventh of $200 million or more. Among current contracts, it trails only the agreements of Rodriguez, Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto ($251.5 million over 12 years), Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols ($240 million over 10 years) and Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano ($240 million over 10 years). A left-hander who turns 26 in March, Kershaw won NL Cy Young Awards in 2011 and 2013. He was 16-9 for the NL West champion Dodgers last year and led the league with 232 strikeouts, and his 1.83 ERA was the best in the major leagues since Pedro Martinezs 1.74 for Boston in 2000. He has led the NL in ERA in each of the last three years. Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis tweeted: "Big winner today......me. I am blessed to catch best in the game for foreseeable future God willing. Congrats Kersh!" Teammate Matt Kemp chimed in, tweeting, "Congrats 2 the best pitcher in baseball and great teammate (at)ClaytonKersh22 on his deal!" Kershaw has been a powerful, yet low-key, presence on the team. In the off-season, the Dallas native has worked to build a charitable legacy alongside his wife, Ellen. The couple has made yearly trips to Africa, where his foundation that focuses on helping at-risk children built an orphanage. The deal signifies further stability for a club that was in turmoil under former owner Frank McCourt, who sold the team to a group that includes Magic Johnson in 2012. The Dodgers signed manager Don Mattingly to a three-year deal last week and now have locked up their ace. Last year, Kershaw pitched a career-high 259 innings between the regular season and the playoffs. The season ended on a sour note when he pitched a rare clunker in the Dodgers 9-0 loss to St. Louis in the NL championship series that eliminated them. Still up for discussion this winter is a new deal for Hanley Ramirez, who hit a team-leading .345 and played hurt during the NLCS. He has one year left on his contract. Nike Air Max 2017 Pas Cher . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Air Max 90 Hyperfuse Noir . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.chaussureairmaxsite.fr/air-max-90-homme-destockage.html .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Some quarterbacks are good in the two-minute drill.Matthew Stafford doesnt even need that long.Stafford is having one the best seasons of his career, statistically, and the numbers dont even tell the whole story. Every game the Detroit Lions have played has been decided by seven points or fewer, so their quarterback has constantly been under pressure with time running down. That was the case last weekend, when Stafford and the Lions went 35 yards in 23 seconds to set up a tying field goal on the final play of regulation. Detroit beat Minnesota in overtime .We would like to score earlier in the game and have a lead, but it did not work out that way, Stafford said. Our guys did a good job of sticking together.Stafford has completed 67.3 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating of 101.6 would be the highest of his eight-year career if he maintains it.Hes doing this without his top receiver Calvin Johnson, who retired in the offseason. The Lions (5-4) have this weekend off, and they are by no means a lock for the playoffs, but whatever their flaws, theyve been able to count on their quarterback.Stafford has had difficulty at times living up to his promise as the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft. He threw for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns in his third season, but that year soon began to look like an outlier. Even when Detroit reached the playoffs in 2014, the Lions were led by their defense.A 1-7 start last season cost Detroits general manager and team president their jobs, and it was fair to wonder about Staffords future as well.Stafford and the Lions played better down the stretch, and Detroits hope was that Jim Bob Cooter had figured out how to get more out of the teams quarterback. Cooter was promoted to offensive coordinator in the middle of last season.In their opener this season, the Lions trailed Indianapolis by one with the ball on Indys 25-yard line and 37 seconds left. Stafford completed three straight passes, and Detroit was in range for Matt Praters winning field ggoal. Air Max 2017 Femme. .(Stafford) appears to make it a little bit easier than what it actually is, coach Jim Caldwell said. Number one, he prepares extremely hard. Number two, he has great confidence that he doesnt back down and doesnt shrink away from those moments, and the guys that are around him can sense that, and I think it gives them a little bit more confidence.Last month, the Lions trailed Philadelphia by two in the fourth quarter. On third down, Stafford and Golden Tate connected for 27 yards, setting up the field goal that put Detroit ahead to stay. The following weekend, it was a 44-yard drive that set up the winning field goal with 1:29 remaining against Los Angeles.The Lions were down by four against Washington with 1:05 remaining Oct. 23, and they went 75 yards for the winning touchdown.Last weekends drive at the end of the fourth quarter came with no timeouts left. Stafford threw an 8-yard pass to Tate, who went out of bounds. Then Stafford completed a 27-yard throw to Andre Roberts in the middle of the field. Detroit was able to rush up and spike the ball, giving Prater a chance at the 58-yard field goal that tied it.We practice those situations all the time. You might not believe it, but we actually go through situations where we need a field goal with 23 seconds left, safety Glover Quin said. When we completed that pass down the middle, we knew we had enough time to get to the ball and execute it perfectly. We didnt have anybody lining up wrong or guys covered up that would have resulted in the end of the game. We were able to hustle to the ball, snap it and spike it.Time was certainly against the Lions in that game, but Stafford has proven he can beat the clock.What else can you ask for but an opportunity? Tate said. We went out there and executed fairly well and found a way.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '