CLEVELAND -- Jason Kipnis had made a habit of hitting first-inning home runs
this season.
Daryl Janmaat Netherland Jersey . On Friday
night, he tried something different. Kipnis hit a three-run homer with two outs
in the 10th inning off Lucas Luetge to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win
over the Seattle Mariners. The home run was the seventh of the season for
Kipnis. The first five came in the first inning before he homered in the eighth
in Wednesdays win over Philadelphia. His walkoff shot Friday came on an 0-1
pitch and capped a two-out rally that began with a walk and an infield hit.
"This was outstanding," said Kipnis, who was mobbed by his teammates at home
plate. "This was one of the more fun nights Ive had on a baseball field." The
Indians have won 15 of 19 and are 10-2 at Progressive Field since April 30.
Vinnie Pestano (1-0), activated from the disabled list before the game, worked
around a one-out walk in the 10th. The game drew a crowd of 34,282, a total
boosted by a postgame fireworks show and a $1 hot dog promotion. The Indians are
last in the majors in attendance despite being 18-7 since April 20. The biggest
crowd of the season since the home opener was not lost on Clevelands players.
"That was awesome," Kipnis said. "I was just as amped up as they were rounding
first base. You never want to put too much emphasis on different wins, but we
knew we had a big crowd. To get a win in front of them and to get it like this
in front of them, hopefully it brings some of them back, because we had a lot of
fun tonight." The Indians posted their third walk-off win of the season and are
4-0 in extra innings. "There were no words coming out when I was rounding (the
bases) and screaming," Kipnis said. "It was just sounds, just gibberish
screams." Added Indians manager Terry Francona: "Watching the guys jumping all
over each other is fun." Drew Stubbs, who homered in the fifth, drew a walk off
Luetge (0-1). Stubbs broke for second with a 1-2 count on Michael Bourn, and
Luetge threw to first baseman Justin Smoak, but Stubbs beat the throw to
shortstop Brendan Ryan. Bourn hit a slow roller past the mound and second
baseman Dustin Ackleys throw to first was late. "That was the matchup we wanted,
lefty-on-lefty there, but he (Luetge) just spun one up there and they took
advantage of it," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "Speed got us there in the
10th. The kid (Stubbs) did a heck of a job getting to second base, and Bourn is
just so fast." The Mariners fell short of reaching the .500 mark for the first
time since they were 4-4 on April 8. Raul Ibanezs two-run homer in the sixth
tied the game, and the bullpens on both sides took over. Chris Perez retired the
side in order in the ninth. Perez, who has been nursing a stiff shoulder, was
pitching for the first time since May 11. Pestano had been on the DL since May 1
with a sore right elbow. Mariners relievers Charlie Furbush and Carter Capps
combined to pitch 3 1-3 scoreless innings. Capps struck out Mark Reynolds to
start the 10th. Luetge got Michael Brantley to ground out before running into
trouble. Seattle lost for just the seventh time in 19 games. Ubaldo Jimenez
allowed two runs and struck out a season-high nine in five innings. He was
pulled after Smoak led off the sixth with a single. Rich Hill was brought in to
face Ibanez, who homered to right on an 0-1 pitch to tie the game. Jimenez, who
had won three consecutive starts, struck out five of the first seven batters he
faced. Seattle rookie Brandon Maurer allowed three runs in six innings. The
right-hander matched a career high with six strikeouts. Jason Giambis sacrifice
fly gave Cleveland the lead in the second. Maurers wild pitch allowed another
run to score. Kendry Morales solo homer into the second deck in right field cut
the lead to 2-1 in the fourth. Stubbs homered in the fifth to give Cleveland a
two-run lead. Nick Swisher drew a leadoff walk in the second and took third on a
double by Carlos Santana. Swisher scored on Giambis fly ball to right, which
also moved Santana to third. Santana scored when Maurer bounced a pitch in front
of the plate with Brantley batting. Morales, who flirted with an extra-base hit
down the right-field line before lining out to Jimenez in the first, homered on
a 2-0 pitch with one out in the fourth. Stubbs drive to right with one out in
the fifth landed in Seattles bullpen, barely clearing the wall. Kipnis and Ryan
were came up hobbled in the third. Kipnis banged his head into the right leg of
Ryan as he dove into second on a failed steal attempt. Ryan applied the tag, but
both players were down for a couple of moments after the play as the two
managers and trainers ran on the field. Kipnis and Ryan remained in the game.
Mariners outfielder Michael Morse was a late scratch with an irritated eye. Endy
Chavez took his spot in right field and batted eighth. Notes: Indians RHP Brett
Myers (sore elbow) pitched three scoreless innings for Double-A Akron on a rehab
assignment against Erie on Friday. ... Mariners RHP Hector Noesi, who made an
emergency start Thursday in place of RHP Aaron Harang (lower back stiffness),
was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma before the game. RHP Danny Farquhar was called
up from Tacoma to provide some bullpen depth for the next couple of days. ...
Seattle manager Eric Wedge said Harang was examined by a chiropractor Friday and
is still set to make his next start Tuesday against the Angels. ... Jimenez
hasnt won four consecutive starts since 2010. ... Mariners LHP Joe Saunders
(3-4) meets Indians RHP Zach McAllister (3-3) on Saturday.
Frank Rijkaard Jersey . It was the second
consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford
had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the
second half.
Jeremain Lens Netherland Jersey . The CFLs
leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the
winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C.,
native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated,
see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL.
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. The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces
and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result
looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Aarti Kapoor was a regular
consumer of spin classes and green juices while she worked on Wall Street in New
York -- that was, at least, until she looked around, saw how many people were
attending classes alongside her, and crunched a few numbers in her head. She
realized how much money was likely flowing into the boutique fitness industry
and had an idea. Now she leads coverage of health and wellness banking at Moelis
& Co.espnW talked to Kapoor about the fitness industrys quick growth and how
women are playing a crucial role in its success.This interview has been edited
for length.espnW: You were fairly green in finance when you started making big
moves in the fitness, health and wellness space. What drew you to that
industry?Aarti Kapoor: My 14-plus-hour workdays are rooted in a deep personal
passion for the category. I was an avid consumer with a laser focus on healthy
living far before it became as mainstream as it is today -- drinking green juice
before it became cool, and going to spin classes when waitlists werent even part
of the boutique fitness vernacular.I had become immune to the sting of the
$35-per-class price tag and even stomached an unlimited membership to a boutique
fitness spin studio where I went to the 7 a.m. class daily.Within the blink of
an eye, it seemed, suddenly green juice was becoming cool, classes were selling
out, more people were wearing yoga pants all day, and the notion of health and
wellness was becoming top of mind for the consumer, money flowing alongside
it.One day in spin class my eyes scanned the room to find not one empty bike
seat, and in that moment a lightbulb went off. How much money must this business
be making?! I asked myself. I did a little bit of math in my head -- bikes per
class, classes per day, days per year. It became quickly apparent that a new
economy was in formation -- the New Age economy of health and wellness.I wanted
to be the first one on Wall Street to get to it, and that was the first thing I
kicked into motion when I went into work that day.espnW: Why do you think others
had largely ignored that industry?AK: While health and wellness is top of mind
for todays consumer, this awareness is still relatively new and a product of the
last five to seven years.The Digital Age has impacted our purchasing behaviors
and what we expect from the money we spend. Equipped with more information than
ever before, we want more out of the products and services we spend on. Weve
fueled brands that offer specialization in a niche, personalization and
customization for the consumer, elevating specialized boutique brands over
traditional models that embraced a more broad-based, one-size-fits-all
approach.We are more educated about health and wellness than ever before. We now
understand not only the physical benefits of exercise and the important of
preventive measures, but weve also learned about the mental and emotional
benefits and the social and cultural benefits.Id also point to demographic
drivers. We talk so much about the impact of millennials: 85-plus million in
number, and their spending power is immense and will be the greatest of all
generations over the next decade. And they happen to embrace healthy lifestyles
as an everyday priority versus an option, and are more focused on experiences
than things.Brand identity, brand ethos, brand connection, brand experience --
brand matters to the millennial. And in a digitally dominated social landscape,
millennials seek opportunities to connect in person, fueling the group fitness
category.Its the confluence of all of these changes that have really rapidly
transformed the industry in the last several years. The fact is that this new
economy started so recently and with such small companies, that much of this
growth was happening under the radar. I was lucky enough to see it early because
I was a consumer. But Im not sure that male consumers from older generations
were in that spin class with me five years ago, so I had a bit of a leg up in
catching the trend early.espnW: What impact do women consumers specifically have
on the fitness industry?AK: Women are highly impactful consumers in the fitness
industry and will continue to be for the long term for a number of reasons.Women
control 85 percent of household purchasing decisions in the U.S. (and influence
up to 95 percent), and our sway in the economy will only increase as womens
dollar earnings continue to grow over time and the gender gap slowly but surely
closes.Women naturally spend disproportionately on what they care about most:
health, wellness, beauty and anti-aging, to name a few. I also believe cultural
shifts have had a meaningful impact on womens participation in the fitness
category -- I couldnt love more that strong is the new skinny. This new beauty
standard finally offers an alignment of personal and societal aspirations, which
we all know has been a historical struggle. Today, our most beautiful selves are
also our healthiest selves.We still have a lot of work to do, but we are
certainly moving in the right direction. This shift has naturally driven many
more women to participate in fitness and has even changed how they are working
out (for example, more participation in strength-based training, realizing yes
-- women should be lifting weights too).Finally, we all know that women love to
exercise in groups -- enjoying the benefits of a social community, the
inspiration from those around them, a greater accountability and more. Women
constitute the majority of boutique fitness participants. The takeaway is that
fitness has become a highly rewarding pursuit for women as the new standard of
beauty and a means to enjoying community and personal strength.espnW: How are
women who are actively involved in fitness defying stereotypes about women in
sports and athleticism? AK: I believe that influential women in fitness and
sports are held in greater esteem by society than ever before, largely tied to
the shifting cultural standards weve experienceed over the last few years.
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has become empowered by embracing strong over skinny, and health and wellness
has become an aspirational lifestyle for many. So when we look at top fitness
personalities and athletes, we place them on a pedestal because through our new
lens, they have truly made it.Looking at fitness specifically, for example,
fitness instructors have become micro-celebrities within their communities; they
boast cult-like followings, consumers emulate their every move, and their
friends have gained bragging rights overnight (and for decades, we might recall,
being a fitness instructor was just one of many jobs in the marketplace).In the
sports world, women have become more talented and accomplished than ever before
-- and not only is society following this growth, but society is also egging on
our female athletes to keep pushing the envelope, to keep breaking new records,
to keep rising on up.Finally, Id touch on a third category of the mainstream
consumer -- the woman who may not be a big sports or fitness personality, but
who is representing a large group of consumers who are simply embracing a
healthier lifestyle the best way that they can. It has been truly refreshing to
see everyday women doing their part in reinforcing healthier norms and daring to
share their fitness journeys with the world, and reminding women around them
that after may be 20 pounds heavier than before and that can be a good thing.For
professionals and average consumers alike, there is a real female empowerment
movement underway. Its a very exciting thing.espnW: Youve said that fitness has
become a new status symbol. What do you mean by that?AK: As consumers have
learned more about health and wellness and the various benefits, living a
healthy lifestyle has become more of a priority than ever before. On top of
that, we have seen major cultural shifts with a new standard of beauty holding
strength and fitness in the highest esteem. So women are motivated to pursue
their fitness goals and be their best self by being their healthiest
self.Consumer preferences and purchasing habits have shifted to favor brands
that offer specialization in a niche category and offer true brand engagement
and experiences -- thereby giving rise to the category of boutique fitness.
Highly branded and specialized offerings across wellness categories have been
priced at a premium to traditional brands -- $35 per class, $10 per green juice,
$100-plus yoga pants, the list goes on.Simply put, many consumers pursuing a
healthier lifestyle are enjoying the side order of high social status that comes
with it.espnW: Much of the movement around womens health seems to be rooted in
brands that could be considered prohibitively expensive for many. How do we
expand this space to cater to broader socioeconomic levels?AK: The accessibility
of health and wellness is an incredibly important question. From a social
perspective, we obviously want all of society to be able to embrace healthier
habits regardless of purchasing power. Now equipped with more knowledge about
preventive measures, we all deserve the opportunity enjoy better quality lives,
for longer.We would also have a healthier economy bolstered by a more productive
workforce with hundreds of billions of dollars in savings from lower obesity and
related disease.Most of the wellness brands we read about tend to be on the high
end of the pricing spectrum in urban hubs such as New York City or Los Angeles,
where population density and purchasing power are high. The question is, can
these concepts scale to various other geographies and still be successful? Many
of these businesses have robust margins, translating into an ability to lower
price while still having a lucrative business model. But the fact is, boutique
fitness and green juice may be out of the question for most of the
country.Thankfully, a new economy has begun to emerge on the other end of the
pricing spectrum as well with new budget-friendly wellness offerings in the
marketplace. Planet Fitness is a great example, with accessibility as a key
tenet. Additionally, were seeing the growth of fitness media -- streaming
fitness classes bringing the boutique fitness experience into the home -- at a
similar accessible price point. Food, beverage and personal care are moving in
the same direction, which is great. That said, we still have a lot of work to
do, and the onus will fall on multiple constituents in our system to get where
we really want to be.espnW: What do you say to those who might dismiss the rise
of the fitness industry as a passing trend?AK: Its a great question -- the rapid
surge in fitness and all-things-healthy has certainly gotten many people
wondering if theres a bubble that might burst in the near future. I believe that
while certain brands may come and go, and certain products or services may ebb
and flow as consumer preferences change, the broader focus on healthy living --
and fitness in particular -- is certainly here to stay long term.Physically, the
benefits today are feeling stronger, more energetic and living healthier
day-to-day lives, and for the future, we reduce our risk of disease and can stay
active for longer. Mentally, we can manage stress better, enjoy greater clarity
of thought and be more productive in the workplace. Emotionally, we can feel
more confident and more positive about ourselves. Socially, boutique fitness
offerings have made fitness a highly social endeavor creating strong, tight-knit
communities that transcend the studio and become a part of our broader
lives.Fitness has become so much more than an hour in our day -- its a
meaningful pillar in various aspects of our lives supported by several long-term
megatrends. Some of the workout programs we try or brands we connect with may
come and go -- but our investment in ourselves is here to stay.
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