Die Anpflanzler [DA] » in the 23rd round

Around baseball, they are known at the "Core Four", but in New York, amongst Yankee fans, there are truly five homegrown players who were at the centre of an incredible run that saw the "pinstripes" put together a run of 21 straight years of finishing over .500. They appeared in the postseason in 17 of 18 years (excluding this year, of course), winning seven American League pennants and five World Series titles. The five include Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, "the Greatest Closer" of em all Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams, who was the first to retire. Now by the end of this week, unless the Yanks pull off a miracle and make the postseason, all save for Jeter will be retired. Even Jeters future as a player is uncertain because of his age (40) and condition of his ankle. You might think all five of these players would have been high-end first-round draft picks. Except for Jeter, that was in fact not the case. Bernie Williams was signed as an international free agent out of Puerto Rico in 1985, and went on to join the ranks of great Yankee centre fielders such Joe DiMaggio. In the real June draft in 85, the Yanks chose 28th and last in the first round and took a pitcher named Anthony Balabon who is a mere footnote in history now. 1990 was the Yankees "golden" year in terms of laying the groundwork for their dynasty. That was the year they signed Mariano Rivera as an international free agent out of Panama. Then they procured two incredible late-round draft picks. Andy Pettitte, the lanky lefty, was chosen 10th in the 22nd round. In that same draft Atlanta chose Chipper Jones No. 1 overall. The Yankees selected outfielder Carl Everett and his "off the wall" personality at number 10. Baltimore grabbed right-hander Mike Mussina (a future Yankee) at number 20, while the Blue Jays selected left-hander Steve Karsay at number 22. Though Karsay didnt do much for the Jays, they were able to use him as part of a package to acquire Rickey Henderson from Oakland in 1993 at the deadline to help cement their second straight World Series victory. Still it was astounding that Pettitte lasted until the 22nd round. Even later in that 1990 draft, the 24th round to be precise, the Yankees used the 10th pick of that round to take catcher Jorge Posada. Oddly enough in the 23rd round, Houston selected a high school catcher by the name of Jason Varitek. He opted to go to college instead of turning pro, and was drafted two more times, by Minnesota in 1993 and Seattle in 94, before the Mariners ultimately traded him to Boston where he put together the kind of career that should put him in the Hall of Fame. Jeter was the true first-rounder. He was selected No. 6 overall. Houston chose 3B Phil Nevin who went on to have a solid, if unspectacular career as the No. 1 overall pick. Montreal with the third pick took a lefty by the name of Billy Wallace, and Cincinnati at number 5 took current Blue Jays hitting coach Chad Mottola, who was simply regarded as too good a hitting prospect to pass up. Besides, the Reds had Hall of Famer Barry Larkin at short and he had hit over .300 his previous three seasons and was part of a World Series winner in 1990. But can you imagine how history would have changed if the Expos had chosen Jeter at number 3? It may not be too far a stretch to say that Montreal still might have a team if that had happened. Whether you love the Yankees or hate them, youve got to admit that these five helped define a dynasty the likes of which may never be seen again. The Stretch Drive The Cleveland Indians have the inside track on the second Wild Card slot and maybe even the first. With just six games left, they are just a half-game back of Tampa Bay and a game-and-a-half up on Texas. The Tribe closes out with two at home to the White Sox starting Tuesday and then winds up the regular season on the road against Minnesota for four games. The Rays play their final home game tonight against Baltimore, then hit the road for three against the Yankees and three at Rogers Centre this weekend against the Blue Jays. The Rangers play their final seven at home, with three against Houston and four versus the Angels. The Royals, Yankees and Orioles are still alive, but really dont have a chance. It would really be something if Cleveland got the first Wild Card, and Terry Francona and got by Tampa or Texas, to face his old team Boston in the ALDS. Authentic Josh Richardson Jersey . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. Stitched Heat Jerseys Online . Weise will have his hearing with the NHL head office over the phone, while the league has requested an in-person hearing with Kassian. Oilers centre Sam Gagner suffered a broken jaw after getting hit with a high stick from Kassian in Edmontons 5-2 win. http://www.cheapheatjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-kelly-olynyk-jersey . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Wholesale Heat Jerseys Authentic . JOHNS, N. Cheap Heat Jerseys . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way.TORONTO - For the streaking Raptors, the element of surprise is rapidly dissipating with each passing victory. The word is out: theyre not to be taken lightly. Now, its not just that theyre winning, but its how theyre winning and who theyre beating that has put Toronto back on the NBA radar. "You win in Dallas and win at Oklahoma City in particular, those are like springboard games," said Frank Vogel, coach of the league-best Indiana Pacers, moments before his team dropped a 95-82 stunner in Toronto Wednesday evening. "Theres a residual effect that carries with you over the next period of games, next stretch of games." "You just play with more confidence, more togetherness," he continued. "And thats what theyre going through right now." Add the Pacers to that list of monumental, confidence-boosting casualties. It had all the makings of a long night at the office for the Raptors in the second game of a back-to-back, fresh off a hard-fought comeback win in Chicago. Regardless of the outcome, Dwane Casey had planned to use Wednesdays contest as a litmus test to measure his improving club against an elite defensive opponent. "Well find out how far we need to go or if were there already," Casey said before the game. "Last year or even two months ago [in this situation] I dont know what we would have done but were meeting the challenge," the Raptors coach added after the win, the Raptors fourth straight and ninth in 12 contests. Again, Toronto proved to be adaptable facing a top-five defence for the second straight night, grinding out another low-scoring affair by making timely plays on both ends of the floor. "t;Were going to go out there and battle with the best of em, night in and night out," exclaimed DeMar DeRozan, who scored 10 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd "We dont care who you throw out there in front of us, we understand theyre going to throw a punch and were going to throw punches back." Toronto outscored the visiting Pacers 55-38 in the second half, 29-19 in the fourth quarter and totaled 27 assists on 32-made field goals on the evening. "The toughness of our team is just building every single night," Kyle Lowry boasted after recording a season-high 14 assists, the most hes registered as a Raptor, to go along with 13 points. "Were just all out there playing. Just trying to find out how we can win games." "Indiana is one of the top teams in the league but our guys battled," Casey echoed. "We came in hungry and fought for 48 minutes, stayed with the game plan and executed." For the first time since 2010 Toronto is a .500 team 30 games into the season. Its also the best record the team has had under Casey, this late into the campaign. "Personally, I dont give a crap," said Casey, asked what his teams recent success means to him, a coach with an expiring deal. "I mean, its not about me. Its about that team in there in that locker room. Im going to be in coaching for a long time. so its not about me, its about those guys in the locker room. For them, I think its another huge step as far as their growth is concerned and I truly mean that." "But Consistency in this league is huge. Swagger is great when you have it, but its a fleeting thing when you dont hold onto it." 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