t better on his own. Hes kind of reading swings out there, which is going | Forum

PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL is expected to pick up the majority of the cost to stage the 2017 draft in Philadelphia, with the citys iconic Rocky steps serving as its backdrop. Cheap New York Islanders Jerseys .City officials say they dont expect the NFLs 82nd event to come at taxpayer expense, but instead expect to fundraise about $5 million of the $25 million budget with the league paying for the events staging and infrastructure.Senior vice president Peter OReilly said on Thursday the events location will represent a return to the birthplace of the draft. The first NFL draft was held in Philadelphia in 1936, when the Eagles selected versatile halfback Jay Berwanger first overall.This is clearly a very passionate football town, its also a city steeped in NFL history, Reilly said.The draft was held in New York for decades before being moved in 2015 to Chicago, where it was also held this year. It was last held in Philly in 1960.Hosting the draft is just the latest in a string of high profile events for Philadelphia. Pope Francis celebrated Mass in a similar location near the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Benjamin Franklin Parkway during a visit to the city last fall. The city also hosted the four-day Democratic National Convention in July.Mayor Jim Kenney said the city knows how to hold major events, and while hosting the draft may ultimately require some city funds, it will be worth the return on investment.Its a very significant event from individual expenditures. People who come are going to be spending money, Kenney said.City officials visited Chicago to see how the event was previously hosted, and took NFL leadership on tours of Philadelphia and its venues.Philadelphia beat out several other locations vying to host the event, which will be held April 27-29. The first three rounds are held in prime time. The hometown Eagles wont have a pick, however, in the first round.Draft organizers said Philadelphia may draw a bigger crowd than Chicago because nine NFL team markets sit within driving distance to the city. Philadelphia is currently one of 13 teams not to have won a Super Bowl.Julie Coker-Graham, Philadelphia convention and visitors bureau president, said more than 200,000 fans are expected to flood the city during the three-day event. Half of those fans are expected to come from out of town.ESPN analyst and former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski will help lead the host committee and said he and others were relentless in (their) approach to find a way to get the draft back to Philadelphia, 80 years after its conception.Theres incredible passion for football in this community, he said.---AP NFL websites: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Islanders Jerseys . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Cheap Adidas Islanders Jerseys . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.cheapislandersjerseys.com/ . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tim Tebows statistics are modest. But the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner believes he is making progress with a week remaining in his Arizona Fall League stint.Tebow enters Wednesdays game with the Scottsdale Scorpions hitting .156 (7-for-45) with one double, two RBIs, four walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 AFL games. His batting average ranks 70th of 73 qualifiers in the league.I feel like every day I get a little more comfortable in the field, at the plate, just going through the routine of baseball, said the 29-year-old Tebow, who launched a professional baseball bid in September with the New York Mets after not playing the sport since his junior year of high school. I think my body is getting more comfortable with that -- the everyday routine of it, the little soreness of it, the recoveries. All of those little things.Tebow has been slowed by a cranky right knee, which he originally injured on Oct. 31 on an awkward slide into second base. He returned to the lineup three days later as the designated hitter, then departed for his weekend gig as a college-football commentator. Tebow resumed playing left field on Monday.Its getting better every day, Tebow said. Im feeling better, getting faster.One benefit of Tebow playing in the AFL is that Mets hitting coach Kevin Long lives in the Phoenix area and can provide regular tutelage. Tebow makes daily visits to Long in the mornings before reporting for AFL duty. The ex-quarterback confessed the extra workload has taken a toll on his hands.Lets put it this way: Theres been a lot of bandages on my hands for the last couple of months, Tebow said. Thats for sure.Tebow also has spent this week working at Scottsdale Stadium with Reggie Jackson, a Yankees instructor. They mostly have discussed hitting approach. Mets and Yankees prospects both play for the Scorpions.Hes got a month named after him, Tebow said about Jackson, also known as Mr. October. So its pretty cool.It has been an eventful AFL season for Tebow aside from his on-field play. The opening week, a man suffered a seizure in the stands after a game while seeking an autograph. Tebow stayed with the man -- a Georgia football fan -- until paramedics arrived. Tebow has stayed in touch with the man.Hes doing well, Tebow said. There might have been a little trash talk with the Florida-Georgia thing. But hes doing good.There have beeen light moments, too. Cheap Islanders Jerseys China. On Halloween, Scottsdale teammate Aaron Brown -- a Phillies prospect -- dressed as Tebow, including wearing?Denver Broncos?garb.I thought it was really funny, Tebow said. Hes a trip. There were some good costumes. I liked his -- except when he came out and was throwing some different routes to [fellow Phillies prospect Mitch] Walding. There were too many incompletions out there.Mets general manager Sandy Alderson acknowledged Tebows assignment to the AFL is aggressive, given he just resumed playing the sport two months ago. But Alderson noted that the Mets wanted to have Tebow continue to develop by playing games after participating in the instructional league.Assigning Tebow to the AFL, which has a development mission, made more sense for Tebow than a Latin American winter league, where the priority is winning, according to Alderson. Tebow also needed a location that allowed for easy travel to his college-football broadcasting duties with ESPN each weekend. Having Long in the area and Mets coach Tom Goodwin managing Scottsdale made it sensible, too.Look, there was a downside in the fact that everything gets graded in the Fall League, Alderson said. The upside is he needs game competition in order to develop those kind of baseball instincts and peripheral skills that are so important. We actually thought he could hold his own in the batters box. And I think hes largely done that. His strikeout rate is not horrendous. Hes making decent contact and hes getting better.If you go to the Dominican Republic or Venezuela, those arent exactly development leagues. Those are competition leagues. So, all in all, this was the best spot for him.Goodwin said Tebows bat speed has been his biggest improvement through 13 games played in the AFL. His fielding instincts have improved, too, since he face-planted into the outfield wall during the opening week.The bat is coming through the zone, Goodwin said. I think hes recognizing pitches now better than he was then. Hes been facing some tough lefties, too. ... Hes done well. In the outfield hes moving around a lot better on his own. Hes kind of reading swings out there, which is going to have to happen. Once we get his knee right I think well see the speed out there. 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