10-5, 2.31) to the mound against Jarrod Parker (6 | Forum
123
Feb 16 '19
MEMPHIS, Tenn. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Terron-Armstead-Jersey/ . -- The perception pains Dwight Howard. He doesnt think its fair or accurate that many consider him a bad teammate and an underachieving goofball who doesnt care enough about his craft to fully take advantage of his immense physical gifts.Howard, however, knew he needed to make major changes after a third consecutive awkward, disappointing ending to his tenure with a team. Over the course of the last year, he has changed agents, tightened and revamped his inner circle and left the Houston Rockets in his rear-view mirror while joining his hometown Atlanta Hawks.Howard even switched numbers, ditching the 12 he wore for the first dozen years of his career in favor of symbolic No. 8. The number means new beginnings, new life, Howard said. I wanted to get away from my old ways and stuff like that, so I changed my number. It has some significant meanings with my mom, some personal reasons. I just wanted to change it up.With Howard getting settled in with his fourth franchise, ESPN caught up with the eight-time All-Star after a preseason win Oct. 6 over the Memphis Grizzlies in the FedEx Forum.Q: When you say new beginnings, whats that mean?A: I changed up everything around me. I hold myself more accountable in certain situations. I try to be a better man, a better father, a better teammate. I know a lot of the stuff thats been said about me that I cant really control and has been false, but at the same time, I just want to show this city who I really am and show my teammates what kind of teammate I am. Theyve been great to me, and I think its a great situation for me to be in.Q: Youve been in the spotlight since you were an 18-year-old kid who was the No. 1 pick, and that spotlight has gotten brighter throughout the course of your career. You mentioned the perception of you. Why does that bother you? A: It has bothered me because I know who I am and what kind of teammate Ive always been. For certain things to be said, it really did bother me, but the only way to shut people up is just by winning and just playing basketball and not allowing that kind of stuff to really affect who I am away from the game.Q: Who is Dwight Howard?A: Im a fun person to be around, laid back, love to have fun. Ill joke all day, but once I get in the gym, Im going to work hard. Thats one thing I pride myself on is working hard in the weight room, working hard in practice, trying to become a better player. I hated that perception that I didnt work hard, that I really dont love the game. This game has brought me a lot of joy, brought me a lot of good things. Just that side of it has really affected me. I know you cant please everybody; you cant make everybody happy, but just getting that perception that I dont care about this game and what it brings is a lie.Q: Do you feel that you feel that youre not allowed to have fun, not allowed to smile, not allowed to be yourself? A: Yeah, a lot of times I do feel like that. When Im smiling, Im supposedly not taking the game seriously. When Im not smiling, then its like, He dont care. Hes just out there. When I was in Orlando and everything was going well and we were winning, even in L.A. when we won those games and stuff like that, me smiling didnt bother people. But like I said, you really cant please people. I know everybodys attention is on what Im doing on the floor. My job is to be the best teammate I can be, push these guys to the limit every day, make sure that Im being the right type of leader. Q: Youre a lovable personality when you smile and win, but when you smile and lose, youre a clown. A: Correct, but its OK. Stuff will change. Im on a great team, got a lot of great guys in this locker room, great coaching staff and theyre going to hold me accountable for everything. Its something I want to have. I want to be held accountable. I want my teammates and my coaches to push me to be the best that I can be. This is a great situation.Q: You mentioned changing things this summer. Whatd you change? A: Just things off the court, a lot of the stuff that was happening around me, just personal things. I tried to change that up and just really start over, get a clean slate. No offense to the people that I had around me, but I just wanted to start over, start fresh. Like I said, its a new beginning, so I wanted everything to be fresh. I didnt want to bring any old baggage or anything from my past to this organization. They believe in me, this city believes in me, so I just wanted to make sure that when Im out there on the court that Im free, that I can give this city and this team everything that Ive got.?Q: Im sure youve thought a lot about this. You go to Houston and James [Harden] is entering his prime, youre in your prime, your games seemed to be complementary. Why didnt that work?A: Well, sometimes things dont work like they should. Ive never had an issue with James. I wish him nothing but the best. I just think the timing of everything was a little bit different. Thats OK. All that stuff did was just mold me for this moment here, this organization, this team. Theyve asked me to be a leader. Its my job to come in here every night and provide physicality and the leadership that this team needs.?Q: This is a good situation for you. Youre home. Youre making money that 99.999999 percent of the world would ... A: [Interrupting] Its not even just the money part, but the fact that Im able to play at home, the fact that Im able to play for Coach [Mike Budenholzer], who has been nothing but unbelievable. The whole staff has been great. Just the team, just the whole atmosphere is something that Ive always prayed for and I always wanted, so Im very grateful.Q: Were you surprised there werent max offers on the table?A: Well, I knew all the situations that was going on. I really only looked into one place and that was the Hawks. I didnt go to other teams. As soon as free agency opened, I met with Coach Bud and [general manager Wes Wilcox]. After the meeting, I went back to my car and I was like, Man, this is where I want to be. I didnt need to meet with other teams. I didnt care about what offers were on the table. I wanted to be in Atlanta. I wanted to represent for this team.Q: Physically, how do you feel?A: My body feels great. I took five days off last summer and have been working out since then. I havent had any issues. I feel good. Playing 13 years is a long time, but I feel really good. Its not like Im [old]. Im just thankful. Before the game when the announcer said, In his 13th season ... it was kind of weird. Coming from an 18-year-old [when he was drafted], now Im 30, its a great situation.Q: Do you feel you can still be as dominant as youve been earlier in your career?A: No doubt, and theyre going to push me to be that player that I can be. Its going to happen. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-John-Kuhn-Jersey/ . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Ted-Ginn-Jr-Jersey/ . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Mark-Ingram-Jersey/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. OAKLAND, Calif. -- The only thing Bartolo Colon cares about is staying healthy and helping his team win. He simply has no idea how to answer the constant questions about how hes doing both. Colon tossed eight innings of one-run ball to win his eighth straight start, powering the Oakland Athletics past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Friday night to tie the best streak of his career. "I dont even know what I can say," Colon said. "Thank you, God." Colon (11-2) controlled the game with an efficient fastball the way he has so many others this season, burnishing his All-Star credentials and confounding critics who wonder how the 40-year-old continues to dominate. He allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one to match Max Scherzer of Detroit for the most wins in the AL this season. Stephen Vogt stole some of the spotlight from Colons latest gem when he homered to end an 0-for-32 stretch to start his career, and four players drove in runs during the second inning to chase Shelby Miller (8-6) and help Oakland win its third straight game. Colon hugged his catcher in the dugout when he came out after the eighth and whispered in Vogts ear: "Thank you, Poppy." Vogts line-drive homer against reliever Joe Kelly in the fourth ended the longest hitless streak to start a career by a non-pitcher since Chris Carter began 0 for 33 with the As in 2010. "I cant imagine anything better," Vogt said. The Cardinals (48-31) dropped a game behind Pittsburgh for the best record in the majors -- and the NL Central lead. Kelly, who last pitched on June 21, allowed just the one run and three hits in 5 1-3 innings of relief in one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals, who couldnt solve Colons deceptive fastballs. "He has a different kind of movement and throws harder than what the gun reads," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. Dan Otero pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the best first half of the season for Oakland (47-34) since 1992, when the club started 48-33. The As remain a half-game behind Texas for the AL West lead, and the reigning division champions owe much of it to the big, burly pitcher on the mound. The As are 13-3 in Colons starts. "Do the math," As manager Bob Melvin said. "Its halfway through the season and hes got 11 wins." Colon tied his career high with eight consecutive wins -- which he did in 2005, when he won a career-best 21 games for the Angels and captured the AL Cy Young Award -- and hasnt lost since May 9 at Cleveland. Hes the first As pitcher since Barry Ziito in 2005 to win eight in a row. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Drew-Brees-Jersey/. The right-hander also is the first pitcher to win his first seven starts since turning 40, according to information from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the As. But with every win, Colon also brings more attention and more scrutiny -- fair or not -- about how he is finding so much success at this stage of his career. Colon is among more than a dozen players who have been connected to a now-closed Miami anti-aging clinic under investigation by Major League Baseball for performance-enhancing drugs. The right-hander also missed the end of last season when he was suspended 50 games for testing positive for synthetic testosterone. The As and Colon have brushed off any clouds that come the pitchers way with the motto Melvin has instilled with everything else about his team: focus on the days task and nothing else. Colon carried a perfect game into the fifth, when Matt Holliday walked with one out. Matt Adams added a short fly that dropped in front of a diving Coco Crisp in centre field for the first hit off Colon, and David Freese followed with an RBI single for the Cardinals lone run. With Colon in complete control again, the As sent 10 batters to the plate and forced Miller to throw 51 pitches in the second inning. It was the most thrown in an inning by one pitcher this season, topping the 50 tossed by Arizonas Ian Kennedy against the Cardinals on June 6. "I just struggled. I wasnt throwing strikes and when I did throw strikes, they were right down the middle," Miller said. Vogt, filling in for the injured John Jaso, added his first career hit in the fourth and teammates initially acted as if nothing happened when he jogged back in the dugout. Then, everybody charged him at once. Vogt got the ball back from a 5-year-old in the stands. The youngster was given another ball and team memorabilia in exchange. NOTES: Members of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum presented Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo with his induction plaque in the dugout before the game. "Its a great honour and great privilege," said Oquendo, who batted .256 in 12 seasons and earned the nickname "The Secret Weapon" for playing every position during his career. ... As manager Bob Melvin said Jaso (injured left hand) might not start over the weekend but is available off the bench. ... San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was in the stands and wearing an As cap. ... The Cardinals send Adam Wainwright (10-5, 2.31) to the mound against Jarrod Parker (6-6, 4.27 ERA) on Saturday. Cheap Hoodies From China Discount NFL Shirts Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Fast Shipping China Jerseys Stitched Jerseys ' ' '
Share:
