Crazyrebel(l)s ist umgezogen! » Williams and the Nets

NEW YORK -- Yasiel Puig knew the question was coming. What about that rocket throw to third base Tuesday night? The one you made when the inning was already over? Before it was even translated into Spanish for him, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger broke into the sheepish grin of a forgetful schoolboy who keeps getting sent to the principals office for the same silly offence. And he was ready with a playful response: Blame it on teammate Juan Uribe. See, only a few days before, Uribe and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy, who doubles as a translator for Puig, were marveling out loud about how the young right fielder hadnt goofed in more than a week. Turns out, they jinxed him! At least thats the way Puig tells it. "So when he made the mistake last night," Bundy said Wednesday, "Juan came off the field, he was looking for me and he goes, Lorenzo, hes back! Hes back!" The Dodgers are accustomed to those sort of untamed miscues from Puig -- over-exuberant baserunning, wild throws from the outfield, huge hacks at the plate. They laughed off his latest gaffe against the New York Mets because it was harmless: Puig caught a routine fly for the third out and immediately whipped a laser beam across the diamond to hold an opposing runner who was only headed back to the bench. Puig got razzed in the dugout, for sure. He may have forgotten how many outs there were, but hes been right on point at the plate. The second-year star from Cuba has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, batting .408 with seven homers and 23 RBIs during that stretch. Hes all over the National League leaderboard, ranking second in RBIs (37) and slugging percentage (.610), fourth in on-base percentage (.427) and fifth in home runs (10). Puig credits Uribe and fellow teammate Adrian Gonzalez, among others, with helping him polish his game. Hes laying off bad pitches and having more disciplined at-bats. Hes hitting the cutoff man and eliminating fundamental mistakes on the bases. "I just think hes making adjustments," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Really his whole game has just matured, so I think that maturity has really been the key for him." All without losing the unique effervescence thats already made him a fan favourite around the majors. "Guys that love to play, you can just see it. And I think thats what people love about Yasiel," Mattingly said. "You get that Little League quality thats just lovin playing baseball. And I think thats what people really like seeing. A guy that plays hard with that energy, and then the talent." The 23-year-old Puig is a rare talent, indeed. That quickly became clear when he burst into the majors with a bang last June. But hes also riled opponents with his antics on the field. Some dont like the way he flips his bat when he connects. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner took exception to that this season and barked at Puig after he rounded third. "Its his style. Its been a way that hes played baseball for a long time," Bundy said, translating for Puig. "He doesnt really worry about the other team or what other players think about him -- other than his team, our team. "He says he tries to play the game hard, he tries to play the game happy. He wants to have a good time when hes playing. He said this is a game of entertainment. He doesnt really play it to offend people, but he does have a good time playing the game of baseball. But he doesnt really worry about the opinions of other teams." Details of Puigs dangerous escape from Cuba in June 2012 were revealed last month in a story first reported by Los Angeles Magazine. According to court documents in a federal lawsuit in Miami, smugglers who helped Puig leave his country on a speedboat have made death threats against him and a boxer who says he defected with Puig. The outfielder signed a $42 million, seven-year contract with the Dodgers, a record for a Cuban defector. And in his first visit to Citi Field this week, Puig has put on quite a show. He got three hits and reached base five times in Tuesdays series-opening victory over the Mets. He and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in a 4-3 win Wednesday night. Asked if hed had a chance to do any sightseeing in New York, Puig said he planned to get to the Statue of Liberty on Thursday and maybe the Empire State Building. Wearing a white T-shirt with "PUIG" written in big red, white and blue letters, he said hes still not used to all the attention and he misses his friends and former teammates in Cuba. Jarrad Davis Jersey . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. Jalen Reeves-Maybin Jersey . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park. http://www.officialdetroitlionsfootball.com/authentic-ziggy-ansah-jersey-womens . Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. T.J. Lang Jersey .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. T.J. Jones Jersey . Hattestad managed to avoid the carnage midway through the mens final, as a crash took out three skiers, essentially leaving two men vying for gold. The Norwegian posted a time of 3:38.39, outlasting Swedens Teodor Peterson, who took silver with a time of 3:39.NEW YORK -- Deron Williams and the Nets reserves were toying with the Knicks when their fans joined in the fun, belting out a "Brook-lyn!" chant that seemed as loud as when theyre home. "That was nice," centre Andray Blatche said with a grin. For the Nets, Mondays game at Madison Square Garden looked good and sounded even better. Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Nets sent the Knicks to a fourth straight loss with a 103-80 victory, evening this seasons New York rivalry at a game apiece. "Obviously when we first played them, they embarrassed us," centre Kevin Garnett said. "So obviously we needed to come back and get a payback, and kind of redeem ourselves because lately weve been playing better basketball and today was a great job of what weve been doing lately." Making a triumphant return from London and completing a three-game, three-country road trip, the Nets improved to 7-1 in 2014 and avenged last months blowout loss with a romp of their own. Blatche had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Alan Anderson scored 15 points for the Nets. Williams finished with 13 points in his return from a five-game absence, coach Jason Kidd bringing him off the bench rather than break up a starting lineup of Johnson, Paul Pierce, Garnett, Shaun Livingston and Anderson that is 5-0. Williams said the reserve role was his idea. "Just because weve been playing so well with that lineup. Why shake things up?" Williams said. "It doesnt matter if I come off or start." The starters werent needed for the fourth quarter after the Nets built a 16-point lead through three, then blew it open behind Williams, Blatche and Mirza Teletovic early in the fourth. Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who beat the Nets 113-83 in Brooklyn but were hardly ever in this one. They lost on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the fourth straight time, the last two both at home to the Nets. "Its tough. Its a tough situation," Anthony said. "Like Ive said, I never dealt with something like this before." The Nets had the look of a flop in the Dec. 5 game, but they have been a different team since the new year. Johnson has beeen the biggest reason for their turnaround, averaging 24.dddddddddddd points in the last six games. Back in New York but not quite home, Brooklyn completed their recent journey with a 2-1 record. It started with a loss in Toronto, their only one of 2014, before a rout of Atlanta on Thursday in London. "Its been fun. We want it to keep going, so were going to keep working hard," Johnson said. "We know why weve won seven of the last eight, so were just going to keep working hard, keep playing together." The Knicks also appeared to be turning it around earlier this month, winning five in a row before their current skid. But they simply lack the talent to overcome the injuries they are facing now to Amare Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin, both out with sprained left ankles. "Its multiple things that have gone wrong," centre Tyson Chandler said. "Weve got to find better continuity on both ends of the floor, offensive and defensively." They did get back guard Pablo Prigioni after he missed 16 straight games with a broken big toe on his right foot. He started with Raymond Felton in a two point guard lineup that was successful last season, but Felton shot 2 for 11 for nine points in his second straight dreadful performance. Prigioni missed all three shots and finished with two points and five assists. Williams was sharper after his latest absence for ankle problems, scoring just seconds after checking into the game in the first quarter on a drive into the lane. Williams, who has missed 16 games this season, played 27 minutes. Johnson scored 12 points in the first quarter, five during a quick 7-0 spurt that gave the Nets an 11-point lead. Another run of seven in a row extended Brooklyns lead to 37-21 early in the second, and it reached 18 later in the period before the Nets settled for a 52-38 halftime advantage. NOTES: Stoudemire hosted breakfast for more than 600 Madison Square Garden employees Monday morning, the third time he has held the event to thank them for their support. ... There was no noticeable reaction from fans when Kidd was announced as Nets coach during starting lineups, even though he played last season for the Knicks. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '