CHICAGO -- Like too many ballplayers with interesting and sometimes controversial pasts, Aroldis Chapman would prefer that his game do the talking. Keith Kinkaid Jersey . If so, its always going to be a short conversation.Chapmans game involves throwing 100-plus-mph fastballs past hitters, rarely for more than an inning. Thats it. In Chicagos 5-2 win Saturday night against the Giants, 12 of the 16 pitches he threw registered three digits on the radar gun. What was rare is that at the end of an eventful week, the Cubs expensive new closer -- via Cuba, Cincinnati and finally New York -- stood still long enough to field a handful of questions.I love the responsibility. I love that it falls on my shoulders, Chapman said through a translator after closing out both of Chicagos NL Division Series wins at Wrigley Field to pick up his first two postseason saves. Yet a city desperate to break a century-and-counting World Series drought is already counting on even more.The pressure is on, but I can handle that. I understand the city and the fans are up and hyped up, Chapman added, but thats fine, too.To describe Chapmans arrival in July as rough does not do it justice.He came in a trade with the Yankees barely two months after serving a 30-game suspension as the first violator of MLBs new domestic violence policy. He was accused of choking his girlfriend and then firing a gun during an argument late last year in his Florida home, though charges were never filed.Making matters worse, his welcome-to-town news conference was a disaster. Theo Epstein, the Cubs popular president of baseball operations, went to great lengths to explain that the front office made clear the importance of his off-field behavior. Chapman said that was news to him. If so, it didnt affect his reception in the clubhouse.You notice when guys fit in, said backup catcher David Ross, the Cubs unofficial clubhouse judge. With him it was seamless. He doesnt speak great English, but hes always smiling. He made friends quick.It didnt hurt, of course, that Chapman posted 16 saves in 18 opportunities, with a 1.01 ERA heading into the postseason. Or that he averaged -- yes, averaged -- a pitch speed of 101 mph.Asked what impressed him most, Ross said: Other than his velocity? ... Hes got a calming presence. Moments never get too big for him, which calms everybody else down.Everybody on Chapmans side, anyway. When it comes to opposing pitchers, not so much.He has that mentality, fellow Cubs closer Hector Rondon said. Were in the same role, but hes different from me. Me, I dont care where anybody else is looking, Im focusing only on home plate.Aroldis, he looks at the hitter, Rondon added, like hes showing who is in charge.Chapman comes by that toughness honestly. Hes the son of a boxing coach who didnt take up baseball until he was 13. But he was selected to Cubas vaunted national team at age 17 and was a bona fide star soon after, thanks to a breakout performance at the 2007 Pan Am Games. A year later, he made his first attempt to defect.The Chicago Tribune reported last week that after Chapman was caught trying to escape, he cooperated with the Cuban government in the prosecutions of four men accused of offering to smuggle him out. All four were convicted of human trafficking and sent to prison; two alleged in a 2013 lawsuit that Chapman was an informant for Fidel Castro and should be held responsible for their torture while in prison.The newspaper also said Chapmans cooperation allowed him to return quickly to the national team. In the summer of 2009, while in Netherlands for a game, he took advantage of that reprieve and defected. Chapman hasnt addressed the newspapers report, but he told The New York Times earlier this year he isnt interested in rehashing the past.That likely includes Game 2 of the 2010 NLDS, when Chapman allowed 3 runs -- all unearned, thanks to miscues by the Reds outfielders -- against the Phillies in what turned out to be a three-game sweep. Ditto for the skull fracture he suffered after being struck by a line drive in a March 2014 spring training game against the Royals.Few things serve a closer better than a short memory. Chapman checks that box, too. Big as the moments he experienced this weekend and in postseasons past may have seemed, he cant wait to find out whats next.In Cincinnati, maybe the crowds werent the same, Chapman said finally. But already, I love this.---Jim Litke is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and at https://Twitter.com/JimLitke . P. A. Parenteau Devils Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Pavel Zacha Devils Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. http://www.nhldevilshockeystore.com/travis-zajac-jersey/ . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- The Grizzlies have another new coach shaking up the lineup and once again Zach Randolphs number is being called.Coach David Fizdale will have the 15-year veteran Zach Randolph anchor the second unit instead of starting alongside center Marc Gasol.Randolph, who has started 820 of the 984 NBA games hes played, is on board with the move.Im going to do whatever it takes to help these young guys out and help this Grizzlies team win, Randolph said.Fizdale has decided that moving the 6-foot-9 Randolph, who turned 35 in July, to the bench this season will help the Grizzlies start games more up-tempo. JaMychal Green, 26 and entering his third year, will replace Randolph as the starter at power forward.Fizdale thought about the change over the summer after he was hired in late May to replace Dave J1oerger. With the league moving to a quicker, more athletic pace chasing Golden State, Fizdale also needed an offensive punch on the second unit making the idea of switching Randolph pretty clear.Were not going to beat teams and compete with those teams at a high level if we play slow basketball, Fizdale said. And, I just think that Marc and Zach together is not a formula for pace.The Grizzlies lumbering, slowdown, post-driven recipe anchored by Gasol and Randolph on the front line is a rarity in todays NBA. Last season, Memphis averaged 99.1 points -- one of seven teams scoring less than 100 points a game and the only playoff team under the century mark. The rest of the league averaged 102.7 points, led by Golden States 115.Randolph, who has known Fizdale since the forward was 19, is saying all the right things about the change:- He wants to help the Grizzlies win- Hes a team-first player.- He will play hard in whatever role he is given.- And he is plleased there is a clear direction from the start, not a midseason change. Reid Boucher Devils Jersey. ts going to be better this year because I know how to prepare myself and know what to expect. I can get prepared, Randolph said.This isnt the first time a Memphis coach thought Randolph coming off the bench might better serve the team. Former coaches Lionel Hollins and Joerger both experimented with the idea with mixed results.I was just very direct with Z Bo. I was very respectful, Fizdale said. I laid out the plan on why and how he could still be extremely effective and help us win a title. I also put the goal in front of him that were going to go after the Sixth Man of the Year together.Fizdale also hopes to solve another problem by adding offensive punch to the reserves from a forward averaging 17 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over his career. Randolphs banging post play against younger players coupled with his ability to position himself for rebounds should help provide a more balanced rotation for the Grizzlies.The new coach is frank about the move, both in discussing the change publicly and in recounting his conversation with Randolph who is going into the final season of his contract.I said: `Z, I dont know if people are going to pay you to be a starter from here on out, Fizdale said. Thats not a knock on him. Father Time catches up to everyone a little bit. I said: `Lets show people that youre willing and able to come off the bench and be very effective.And, for now, Randolph seems willing to accept the challenge.He said he just wanted to try something, and hopefully, itll work. Randolph said. Im just going to go out and play my game. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
