PEORIA, Ariz. - Another year, same routine at the outset of spring training for Felix Hernandez. The Seattle Mariners ace threw his first bullpen session of the spring on Monday, and as in recent years, will be ramped up gradually in order to get him ready for opening day on March 31. The preparation for the season opener began with him throwing fastballs, curve balls and changeups. Manager Lloyd McClendon and pitching coach Rick Waits both said Hernandez looked great. Last February, Hernandez was brought along slowly in part because he left spring training to return to Seattle to sign his new contract, and got behind on his scheduled work. The idea has been to not make him pitch as much in February so he can be at full effectiveness in late March or early April. "Not bad," Hernandez said of his days work. "Beginning was a little wild. I was up. But then the ball came out pretty good." Hernandez said he might pitch in game action by the seventh game of spring training. Hernandez has taken a mentoring role with young Taijuan Walker, who is working toward being in the Mariners starting rotation when the season begins. Hernandez feels both Walker and left-handed starter James Paxton, both entering their first full seasons with the club, are ready to join the rotation and welcomes their questions. "They have a lot of talent," Hernandez said. "They just need to keep working hard and do their thing." Hernandez had similar guidance from former teammates Eddie Guardado, Joel Pineiro and Jamie Moyer when he was starting his big-league career. Hernandez realizes he isnt the only big name on the Mariners, now that star second baseman Robinson Cano has arrived. He welcomes another All-Star. "He can hit a lot, man," Hernandez said. "Glad I dont have to face him. Its all about winning. Thats all we need to do." Hes also glad to have a proven closer in Fernando Rodney on the team. "This club, its going to be a lot of fun this year," Hernandez said. "I cant wait." NOTES: Cano is expected to join the Mariners in time for Tuesdays first full-team workout. He was not at the teams spring training site on Monday, when position players reported for physicals. Canos physical is complete except for a brief check-in with team medical staff before he takes the field ... Walker threw his first bullpen session of spring training after being held out with a sore throwing shoulder, and said he felt great. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, and will have his next session on Thursday ... Infielder Nick Franklin, who played in 102 major-league games as a rookie in 2013, is viewed primarily as a shortstop, McClendon said, and will get some at-bats as a designated hitter in spring training. Franklin and Brad Miller are the primary contenders for the starting shortstop spot. ... Relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez arrived Monday, the veterans first day in camp after dealing with international visa issues. . -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back quarterback Chad Henne -- and making him the starter. . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp.
http://www.cheapbaseballjerseysonline.com/.J. Fair didnt have many chances to be the main option for Syracuse last season. . According to bodog.ca, Cleveland moved up to grab the best odds to win the Larry OBrian trophy at 4-1 on Friday. By comparison, the Miami Heats odds plummeted from 3-1 favourites before LeBron left, to 50-1. . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book.The Los Angeles Kings took advantage of their breaks in Game Three and goaltender Jonathan Quick was terrific, stopping all 32 shots he faced, as the Kings downed the Rangers 3-0 to take a 3-0 stranglehold in the series. Game Three opened with a brilliant pace, as the Rangers and Kings played a back-and-forth first period with very few whistles. It looked like it was going to end up scoreless through one when Kings C Jeff Carter buried a 2-on-1 with Justin Williams, his wrist shot deflecting in off a sliding Dan Girardi with 0.7 seconds remaining in the first period. A backbreaking goal for a Rangers team already down two games in the series. With Rangers D Marc Staal in the penalty box, for high-sticking, Kings D Jake Muzzin scored a power play goal early in the second period to create some breathing room. Muzzins goal was on the power play, but was a wrist shot from just inside the blueline that deflected in off Rangers RW Martin St. Louis. Two goals on two attempted blocked shots and this left the Rangers, down a couple of goals, to press. Late in the second period, Kings C Mike Richards broke out on a 2-on-1 with RW Trevor Lewis, and after Rangers D Ryan McDonagh blocked Richards attempted pass, Richards found the puck back on his stick and finished it off to give the Kings a 3-0 lead. The proverbial dagger. The Rangers had many chances -- they outshot the Kings 17-8 in the second period, then 11-2 in the third, once the deficit was virtually insurmountable -- but they couldnt get the puck past Quick. His 32-save shutout was his best of a postseason that hasnt been Quicks best. Even with the Game Three shutout, Quick has a .910 save percentage in 24 games, but the Rangers best chance to pull off an upset in the series was going to be if Henrik Lundqvist outdueled Quick and that hasnt happened. In Game Three, the Kings won while registering a season-low 15 shots on goal. The playoff scoring race didnt see any change at the top, or at least similar change as Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Justin Williams and Marian Gaborik each had a single point.dddddddddddd Kopitar leads the postseason with 26 points, two ahead of Carter and Williams, five ahead of Gaborik. Williams, making his late charge for the Conn Smythe, had six points (1 G, 5 A) in the series. There may not have been a better example of the Rangers frustration in Game Three than to see RW Rick Nash, who has just three goals in the playoffs, creating chances -- he had a game-high seven shot attempts -- but coming up empty at every turn. In one second period sequence, Nash attacked on the rush, was stopped by Quick, stayed on the puck, gathered control behind the Kings net and as he attempted a wrap-around, was hooked by Kings D Drew Doughty to prevent the goal. It was a smart play by Doughty in the moment and, given the Rangers power play struggles (2-for-30, 6.7% in the past seven games), it was sensible, even in desperation. Game Three was a fine example of why a team like the Rangers, the underdog coming in, couldnt afford to lose a pair of overtime games. Sure, the Rangers could have easily won one of the first two games in Los Angeles and come home even, but they didnt. Then, they had a game in which the bounces totally went in the Kings direction and, just like that, the series is 3-0 and that should be just about that. In 26 previous Stanley Cup Final series in which a team has taken a 3-0 lead, only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs managed to overcome the deficit. Thats what the Rangers are left with. Long, virtually impossible odds, in a series that (aside from the third period of Game One) they have played relatively even throughout. Maybe the Rangers deserved a better fate, but they are left needing a miracle and its pretty tough to count on miracles when the other guys are getting the bounces. Scott Cullen can be reached at
Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '
