New York, NY (Sports Network) - New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Francisco Liriano have been named the Comeback Players of the Year for the 2013 season. The 43-year-old Rivera came back from a torn ACL that shelved him for the majority of the 2012 campaign to earn the American League honor. The now- retired reliever went 6-2 with a 2.11 earned run average over 64 appearances and saved 44 games, the most ever by a pitcher in his final MLB season. Riveras outstanding swan song began with a stretch of 18 successfully converted save chances and highlighted by being named the MVP of the ALs 3-0 victory in the All-Star Game at New Yorks Citi Field. The 13-time All-Star finished his brilliant career with an MLB-record 652 saves. Liriano helped the long-suffering Pirates reach the postseason for the first time since 1992 by ranking third in the National League with a career-best 16 victories along with a 3.02 ERA in 26 starts. The hard-throwing lefty was coming off a rough 2012 season in which he went 6-12 with a 5.34 ERA with Minnesota and the Chicago White Sox. The 30-year-old also tallied 163 strikeouts in 161 innings of work, went 8-2 with a stellar 1.26 ERA following a Pittsburgh loss and was the winning pitcher in the Pirates 6-2 triumph over Cincinnati in the NL Wild Card Game. Liriano became the first player to be chosen Comeback of the Year twice since the awards inception in 2005. He took home the AL award while with the Twins in 2010. . Left-handed reliever Boone Logan agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract on Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. . Woods said Friday that his charity event, which attracts a world-class field even without being part of any tour, will move in December 2014 to Isleworth, the course where he honed his professional game from 1996 until moving away to south Florida two years ago.
http://www.cheapnorthcarolinajerseys.co ... jersey.com) - Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will sit out Thursdays game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with left knee soreness. .com) - Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is joining the Major League Baseball Players Association staff as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark.NEW YORK, N.Y. - The New York Jets might have a front-runner in their search for a general manager.The team scheduled a second interview with Houston director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan, the only GM candidate so far to receive a second meeting with the Jets. Maccagnan first met with owner Woody Johnson and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf on Monday.New York also interviewed Tampa Bay director of player personnel Jon Robinson, the seventh known candidate, on Thursday.The Jets have also spoken with Miami director of college scouting Chris Grier, Philadelphia director of pro personnel Rick Mueller, Seattle director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner, Cleveland executive chief of staff Bill Kuharich and Jets senior director of football administration Rod Graves.Johnson fired GM John Idzik, along with coach Rex Ryan, on Dec. 29 after the Jets completed a 4-12 season. The team is running concurrent searches as they seek to replace both Idzik and Ryan.Maccagnan has close ties to Casserly, who along with Wolf is assisting Johnson in running the searches. Maccagnaan has been with the Texans since 2000, when Casserly — then Houstons general manager — hired him.dddddddddddd Maccagnan also previously worked with Casserly in Washington, where he was a scout for the Redskins.He was promoted to director of college scouting for the Texans in 2011 after previously working as the assistant director of college scouting. Maccagnan also has spent time in the scouting and player personnel departments of the CFLs Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the World Leagues London Monarchs.The Jets had not yet set up any second interviews with their six known coaching candidates.They interviewed Arizona defensive co-ordinator Todd Bowles and San Diego offensive co-ordinator Frank Reich on Wednesday. New York has also interviewed Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn and assistant head coach-offensive line coach Tom Cable, former Buffalo coach Doug Marrone and Anthony Lynn, who served as the Jets running backs coach and assistant head coach under Ryan.___AP NFL website:
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