ry time is quick. Kobe Bryant, for instance, did not miss a game after breaking his nose and being diagnosed with a concussion in February 2012. "I know back in the day I took some blows and you coul | Forum

BOSTON -- Say this for the Boston Red Sox: Theyre going for it in David Ortizs final season. Wholesale Cheap Jerseys .With the finish line in sight for their retiring franchise icon, the Red Sox didnt wait for the Aug. 1 trade deadline to get help for an inadequate rotation. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didnt spare all of the organizations top prospects either, acquiring All-Star left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres for touted 18-year-old right-hander Anderson Espinoza on Thursday night in an old-fashioned, one-for-one trade between clubs with vastly different timelines for contending.The Red Sox, who return from the All-Star break in a three-way fight for the American League East crown, get a pitcher who appears to be coming into his own at age 27 but has already reached his big league career high in innings pitched this season at 102. Meanwhile, the 38-51 Padres get an elite prospect who has been compared to a young Pedro Martinez but probably wont sniff the big leagues until at least 2019.Id rather trade three [lesser]-type guys than Anderson, but that wasnt appealing to San Diego, Dombrowski said. They really wanted more of the focus of the premium guy. Theres always risk with pitchers, no matter how old they are. We know that Drew hasnt thrown this many innings. We think he can handle it. We also know theres a risk in Anderson, a young pitcher that we like a great deal.Dombrowski said Pomeranz is scheduled to make his Red Sox debut Wednesday at Fenway Park against the San Francisco Giants.To make room for Pomeranz on the 40-man roster, infielder Josh Rutledge, who is out with an injured left knee, was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.Espinoza, ranked No. 14 on ESPN Insider Keith Laws midseason top 50 prospects list, was one of the most gifted arms in a Boston farm system that hasnt produced a homegrown starter since Clay Buchholz in 2007. But with the demand for pitching far outweighing the supply of available starters -- and the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers,?fellow AL contenders, equally desperate for pitching -- the cost was always going to be exorbitant. Dombrowski had little choice but to act quickly and pay a steep price.Sometimes if you have more supply than demand, youre in a position; if you wait [until the trade deadline], sometimes it can be beneficial, Dombrowski said during a conference call. But in a case where the demand exceeds the supply, which is definitely the case in this situation, Im not sure you dont take a greater risk by waiting, because demand continues to build. I dont think theres a lot more guys becoming available. We had a pretty good pulse of that.Pomeranzs value has been built almost entirely over the past three months. A first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2010, he earned his first All-Star selection this season after posting a 2.47 ERA and allowing 67 hits and 41 walks in a career-high 102 innings over 17 starts for the Padres. He ranks second in the majors in both opponents batting average (.184) and opponents OPS (.555).Before this season, though, Pomeranz bounced between the rotation and the bullpen for the Colorado Rockies and the Oakland Athletics, posting a 4.60 ERA and allowing 240 hits and 106 walks in 228? innings as a starter. The lefty has now been traded four times.But the Red Sox are betting on Pomeranz being a late bloomer because he has started throwing a cutter this season. They believe Pomeranzs cutter has made his fastball more effective because he doesnt have to throw it as frequently. In the past, he was primarily a fastball-curveball pitcher.Pomeranz will join a rotation that includes ace lefty David Price, upstart knuckleballer Steven Wright and right-hander Rick Porcello. Red Sox starters have posted a 4.72 ERA in the first half, which ranks 19th in the majors.The final two spots in the rotation have been a black hole, with six pitchers combining for a 7.22 ERA. The Red Sox are hoping lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, 23, has corrected mechanical flaws that contributed to an 8.59 ERA in six starts since he came off the disabled list in late May, but they also cant bank on a significant improvement from him.We have four guys, and were hopeful Eduardo steps up at this point when he pitches on Saturday [in New York against the Yankees], Dombrowski said. And well see what else happens beyond that.Hired in August with a win-now mandate from owner John Henry, Dombrowski has lived up to his reputation as an aggressive wheeler-dealer. In November, he acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the Padres for four minor leaguers, including touted outfielder Manuel Margot and infielder Javier Guerra. He also signed Price and veteran outfielder Chris Young?and traded for reliever Carson Smith in a span of about three weeks during the offseason. Within the past week, he has made four trades, acquiring veteran infielder Aaron Hill, utility man Michael Martinez, reliever Brad Ziegler and now Pomeranz.Espinoza was widely regarded as the Red Soxs top pitching prospect and third-best prospect overall, behind second baseman Yoan Moncada and center fielder Andrew Benintendi, both of whom are playing at the Double-A level and could reach the big leagues later this season before Ortiz exits the stage.Espinoza is still years away from the majors. And after dominating the rookie-level Gulf Coast League with a 0.68 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 40 innings last season, he has struggled against older competition in the low-Class A South Atlantic League. In 17 starts for Greenville, he has notched a 4.38 ERA and given up 77 hits and 27 walks in 76 innings.The Padres were able to pry away Espinoza because Pomeranz isnt eligible for free agency until after the 2018 season. Pomeranz is making only $1.35 million this season, his first year of arbitration eligibility.Dombrowski noted the comfort of knowing Price, Wright, Porcello and Pomeranz would be locked up beyond this season.We found we were being asked for the same people no matter what the amount of service time left was, Dombrowski said. Even though somebody was in the last year [until] free agency versus somebody that had a couple of years to go, the same names that kept coming up, the players that we were being asked to trade.Trading Espinoza was also slightly more palatable for the Red Sox because of the re-emergence of right-hander Michael Kopech, who has returned from last years drug suspension and a broken hand in spring training. One Red Sox official said last week that Kopech has the best arm Ive ever seen, and in a start for Class A Salem on Wednesday night, Kopech threw a pitch that was clocked at 105 mph.The Red Sox were also on the verge Thursday night of signing first-round draft pick Jason Groome, a touted high school left-hander who figures to take Espinozas place as a prized pitching prospect. Stitched Jerseys . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http://www.cheapjerseysfromchina.info/ . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers wont know until Saturday night whether point guard George Hill will start in Game 6 against New York. Hill participated in the teams morning shootaround, which is part of the process of passing his concussion test. But doctors had not yet cleared Hill to play. "He just did some work today. He looked fine, but he has to do more tests this afternoon," coach Frank Vogel said. "Theres a long list of things thats part of the NBAs protocol. Hes in the middle of that process. Hes not ruled out, not cleared to play. Hes a game-time decision." Vogel said he was preparing to play without Hill. Hill scored 26 points Tuesday night in Game 4 after a first-quarter collision with Knicks centre Tyson Chandler. Two days later, after the teams shootaround, Hill was still complaining of headaches. Team doctors then diagnosed him with a concussion, forcing him to sit out Game 5. His replacement, D.J. Augustin, played nearly 39 minutes and had no assists as the Pacers lost 85-75. The win allowed New York to climb back within 3-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. Indiana gets a second chance to close out the series Saturday at home, where they are 5-0 in the post-season and have won all five games by double digits. Vogel has not said who will start Saturday if Hill does not play. "We prepare for guys to be out. D.J. Augustin, Ben Hansbrough. Lance (Stephenson) understands that he has to play some (point guard)," Vogel said. "Theyve prepared for that all year. . Mentally for those guys, knowing might help them a little bit." The Knicks arent sure what to expect, either. Coach Mike Woodson told reporters Friday that his team was preparing as if Hill would play. At Saturdays shootaround, Woodson explained he wasnt sure what to expect, thhough the Knicks couldnt let that affect them in Game 6. Clearance NFL Jerseys. "It doesnt matter who plays for them. Weve still got to do what we do. Its about what we do at this particular time," Woodson said. The NBAs protocol states that any player diagnosed with a concussion must be held out of all activities until he is symptom-free at rest and team doctors see no "appreciable" difference between the players baseline test conducted before the season and the test after the injury. Then the player must prove he is symptom-free as the level of exertion increases. Team doctors can determine whether the player passes, a decision that must be discussed with Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the NBAs director of the concussion program. The league has not established a timetable for how long players must sit out before returning because each injury is different. Sometimes, the recovery time is quick. Kobe Bryant, for instance, did not miss a game after breaking his nose and being diagnosed with a concussion in February 2012. "I know back in the day I took some blows and you couldve easily called it concussions. But hell, you just played," Woodson said. "Thats the policy and I think its a good policy because, again, this is still a basketball game and youve got to deal with your health. Thats more important." Leaving one looming question: Will the decision about Hill make a difference in this series? "Finding out literally an hour or two hours before the game (Thursday) is a rough spot to put a guy in. For all of us, really," Pacers forward David West said. "We had to change some of the things we were accustomed to doing, take some of Georges stuff out of the package. But again, were prepared. Had a good day yesterday, a good day today. Our focus is where it needs to be." Cheap Throwback Baseball Detroit Tigers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Colorado Rockies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Houston Astros Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Kansas City Royals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Angels Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Miami Marlins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Minnesota Twins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Mets Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Yankees Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Oakland Athletics Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Francisco Giants Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Seattle Mariners Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Texas Rangers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Washington Nationals Jerseys ' ' '