Talk » Thats what makes me excited.

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees will honor Mark Teixeira in a ceremony before the regular-season finale Oct. 2 against Baltimore.The 36-year-old first baseman announced in August his plans to retire after the season.Teixeira has played 14 seasons and has 406 home runs. Only four switch-hitters in major league history have more -- Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (468) and Carlos Beltran (419).A member of the Yankees 2009 World Series championship team, Teixeira led the league that year with 122 RBI and tied for the league lead with 39 homers. He finished second in the AL MVP vote.He has been injured much of this season and is hitting .198 with 12 homers and 37 RBI.Teixeira is a three-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger winner. He joined the Yankees as a free agent in 2009, signing an eight-year contract. He also played with Texas (2003-07), Atlanta (2007-08) and the Los Angeles Angels (2008).TEIXS REPLACEMENT?1B Greg Bird, sidelined all season following surgery in February to repair a right labrum tear, is taking batting practice with the Yankees instructional league team in Tampa, Florida and remains on target to face live pitching next week. Bird, set to play in the Arizona Fall League next month, and Tyler Austin are the two top in-house candidates to replace Teixeira in 2017. Were all fighting for a job, Bird said. The best players play. It will make both of us better I think, and thats what you want.HELPING ARRIVING SOON?OF Aaron Hicks (right hamstring strain) hit with Bird and feels game-ready. The Yankees havent ruled out Hicks rejoining the team during a three-game series at Tampa Bay that begins Tuesday night. CF Jacoby Ellsbury is day to day after bruising his right knee sliding into a bullpen wall trying to make a catch Saturday at Boston. Right fielder Aaron Judge is expected to miss the rest of the regular season because of a strained oblique. Yankees manager Joe Girardi watched part of Mondays instructional league workout. White Jordan 1 Wholesale . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Wholesale Jordan 1 Black China . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. http://www.bestfakejordan1.com/cheap-jordan-1-banned-outlet.html . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Retro Air Jordan 1 OG Chicago White Mens . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Jordan 1 High Wholesale . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. MILWAUKEE -- Whats cooler than being cool? Andre 3000 bellowed as he glided around the stage at Staples Center wearing sunglasses, a candy-striper outfit and a paper wedge hat.Ice cold! the backup singers answered as they gyrated behind him as OutKast performed Hey Ya, one of the hottest songs of the moment.It was the opening sequence of the 2004 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Within moments, the singer asked the crowd if it was ready to meet the players and he stepped aside so Michael Redd, dressed in a baggy purple-and-black Milwaukee Bucks warmup, could be announced for his first All-Star appearance.Redd played 15 minutes and scored 13 points. A Buck hasnt been seen in an All-Star Game since, the longest drought of star power in the league.In 2004, Giannis Antetokounmpo was just 9 years old and had no interest in basketball. Living in the Sepolia section of Athens, Greece, he played soccer like his father and oldest brother, who were stars in Nigeria. He didnt even start playing basketball until three years later, when he was 12.The Antetokounmpo story is as outlandish as the Bucks search for him. The Bucks have been in need of a franchise player since Ray Allen was sent to Seattle in 2003 in one of the more ill-advised moves in recent NBA history. Redds shot at it was cut short because of debilitating injuries that forced early retirement.They have him now. One of the biggest talking points among league executives and scouts this season is the explosive growth of Antetokounmpo this season. Since Bucks coach Jason Kidd made the intriguing decision to install the Greek Freak as a part-time point guard near the end of last season, his playmaking has wowed opponents and teammates.Last week he had a 34-point game against the Cavs. Saturday he had 10 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and two steals in a win over the Nets. Monday he won his second Player of the Week Award (and lost a home nail-biter to the Spurs despite his 22 points and 11 rebounds, snapping a four-game win streak).Tuesday he turns 22 years old, younger than NBA rookies like Buddy Hield and teammate Malcolm Brogdon.Kidd has had to knock Antetokounmpo in line at times over the past few seasons and hes been cautious to always point out how much his young star still has to learn. On Monday, for example, he was isolated in a vital late possession against the outsized Manu Ginobili and wasnt able to get it done, in part because he still doesnt have confidence in his jumper.Still night after night, Antetokounmpo makes breathtaking plays with this athleticism, size and burgeoning skill. Hes averaging 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists plus two steals and two blocks per game. Hes also shooting 52 percent. Hes doing it while playing a mix of point guard, both forward spots and even some center on defense in various lineups.Seeing the potential spill forth, Kidd cant help himself. He knows he shouldnt say out loud what he and his coaches have been talking about amongst themselves, but this last week has loosened his lips.ddddddddddddHaving being around some of the best in the world in LeBron (James) and Dirk (Nowitzki), Kidd said referencing former Team USA and Dallas Mavericks teammates, wouldnt it be cool to have those two combined as one player? Maybe that could happen.Of all the things Kidd has seen from Antetokounmpo, he finds himself marveling at the passing the most. Recently he found center John Henson with a perfect bounce pass through traffic that led to an easy hoop. Seeing a 7-footer find another 7-footer on the move under pressure by bouncing it off the court left Kidd, one of the best passers of all time, rubbing his eyes.To be honest, I dont always think about it, its just instinct, Antetokounmpo said. Guys are like, howd you do that? and I say, Im not thinking about it. I see what the right pass is and I throw the pass. Thats the way its all been.Putting it like that makes it seem like its all natural talent. Hes got plenty of it -- if he didnt, the Bucks wouldnt have gambled on him with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft in a move that now looks genius. They extended it by locking him up to a four-year, $100 million extension before the season that now looks like a bargain because it was for a handful of million less than the max salary. If there was ever a player who looked like a max at age 22, its this athlete.Just pointing to the pure talent sells him short. Teammates report that Antetokounmpo is diligent about watching film and studying the game. Hes only been playing it half his life, which puts him behind most of his peers.When he started to get interested in the game as a teenager after his older brother, Knicks prospect Thanasis, started playing, Antetokounmpo found himself drawn to YouTube highlights of Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen and Allen Iverson. The way he passes, defends and plays with passion, you can see bits of all of them.I want to make great plays. It can be blocking a shot, it can be passing to an open teammate or dunking. Just great plays, he said. Thats what makes me excited.In the preseasons annual general managers survey, seven players received votes in the best player to start a franchise category, a favorite area of debate every year. Karl-Anthony Towns got the most votes, a reasonable choice. Antetokounmpo got zero. Usually the second guessing on that survey comes 12 months later. If the vote was taken again today, Antetokounmpo would show up.His first six weeks have been that impressive. As they consider the possibility of breaking their All-Star drought, the Bucks cant wait to see where the near future takes them.Were in the early stages of seeing where he can take us, Kidd said. What hes done is show that he can handle a lot right now. Theres going to be a time where were going to raise the bar again and see how he does. ' ' '