by ldh2013 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:07 am
MIAMI -- The only thing that keeps LeBron James up worrying at night is basketball, which simultaneously makes perfect sense and no sense. . On one hand, hes the games best player. On the other, hes rarely impressed with himself. Even after a year like 2013 -- when a spectacular wedding, a second NBA championship and a fourth MVP award were among the many highlights enjoyed by the Miami Heat star -- he still is, as he puts it, striving for greatness. Or, technically, more greatness, since his enormous list of accomplishments just keeps growing. James was announced Thursday as The Associated Press 2013 Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the third basketball player to capture the award that has been annually awarded since 1931. James received 31 of 96 votes cast in a poll of news organizations, beating Peyton Manning (20) and Jimmie Johnson (7). "Im chasing something and its bigger than me as a basketball player," James told the AP. "I believe my calling is much higher than being a basketball player. I can inspire people. Youth is huge to me. If I can get kids to look at me as a role model, as a leader, a superhero ... those things mean so much, and thats what I think I was built for. I was put here for this lovely game of basketball, but I dont think this is the biggest role that Im going to have." Past winners include Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Carl Lewis, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps. Serena Williams was the AP Female Athlete of the Year, announced Wednesday. James joins Michael Jordan and Larry Bird as NBA players to win the award. "I dont think Ive changed much this year," James said. "Ive just improved and continued to improve on being more than just as a basketball player. Ive matured as a leader, as a father, as a husband, as a friend." So far in 2013, with a maximum of three games left to play, James has appeared in 98. The Heat have won 78 of them. None of those was bigger than the four Miami got in the NBA Finals against San Antonio. In Game 7, James was at his best, scoring 37 points, including the jump shot with 27.9 seconds left that essentially was the clincher. "He always rises to the occasion when it matters the most," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Business-wise, James is booming. Some estimate his annual income around $60 million, less than one-third of that being made on the court. His wife has opened a juice bar in Miami, and David Beckham wants James to be part of the Major League Soccer team he plans on bringing to South Florida in the next couple years. Countless people want to align with James. Few make him listen. Beckham did. "You want to be a part of it, but it has to feel real to you," James said. "You dont want to do something that doesnt feel much to you, that youre just doing for the money. We all have money. For me, my time is more than money at this point in my life." James has another "decision" to make in 2014. He can become a free agent again this summer, though still smarting from the circus atmosphere that followed him during his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers four years ago, James is staying largely silent on what might happen. He insists he has no idea. "Im so zoned in on what my task is here this year that its hard to think about anything else," James said. "A guy the other day asked me what Im going to do for New Years, and I havent even thought about that." When asked if theres anything he doesnt like about Miami, James offered few complaints, other than the often-clogged street -- Biscayne Boulevard, or U.S. 1 -- that leads to the arena the Heat call home. "What is there not to like about Miami?" James said. "It is a home. My family is very happy; Im very comfortable. But U.S. 1? I wish that was a highway." Bear in mind, hes not always unhappy when that street is gridlocked. The last two years, hes been largely responsible for hundreds of thousands of people lining that road for Heat championship parades. And if he gets his way, theyll be back next June. . Brown was shown a red card for clipping the Brazilian as he lay on the ground during Barcelonas 1-0 win in Glasgow on Oct. 1. UEFA said its disciplinary panel increased the automatic one-match ban to a three-match sanction. .5 million buyout. The left-hander will be 35 next season and becomes a free agent. The decision Friday completes a $137.5 million, six-year contract that was agreed to before the 2008 season. . -- Ben Martin made his way through most of the TPC Louisiana course with the type of sparse gallery one would expect for a player who had missed seven cuts in his previous nine starts on the PGA Tour.DETROIT -- When David Price was finally traded, it was to an unexpected bidder. The Detroit Tigers added another Cy Young Award winner to their star-studded rotation, acquiring Price from Tampa Bay in a blockbuster deal Thursday. The Rays received left-hander Drew Smyly and minor league infielder Willy Adames from the Tigers. Tampa Bay also got infielder Nick Franklin from Seattle, with Detroit outfielder Austin Jackson going to the Mariners. The AL Central-leading Tigers are trying for their fourth consecutive division title, and their starting rotation was already a strength. General manager Dave Dombrowski decided to trade for Price anyway, giving Detroit a collection of stars on the mound that could be tough to match in any post-season series. "The question that we asked ourselves is: What gives us the best chance of winning the world championship this year?" Dombrowski said. "We thought adding him to our rotation at this point would give us the best chance to do that." The deal came just hours after the Oakland Athletics got an ace of their own, Jon Lester from the Boston Red Sox Price joins Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in the Detroit rotation, giving the Tigers the last three American League Cy Young winners. The Tigers are the first team with three pitchers on the staff who have all won Cy Young Awards over the previous three seasons, according to STATS. "Today its great, its nice, its fine. I love to have David Price," Dombrowski said. "If we win, then Ill be very satisfied." Jackson was removed from Detroits game against the Chicago White Sox with one out in the top of the seventh inning. As he jogged in from centre field, he got a nice hand from the home fans, many of whom no doubt understood the significance of the substitution moments before the trade deadline. Prices departure became a clear possibility when the Rays fell way behind in the AL East race earlier this season. Tampa Bay has played much better over the last month and entered Thursday only 5 1/2 games behind a wild card -- but the Rays decided to deal their ace anyway. "Compared to the other possibilities, it was by far the most prudent thing that we could do for the best interests of the franchise," said Andrew Friedman, Tampa Bays vice-president of baseball operations. "If you look ahead to next year, it would have been really challenging to be as good as we want to be within our situation, with David taking up that meaningful of a percentage of our payroll. So everything we do is in the vein of how to be compeetitive in the near term and also the long term. . " Tweeted Rays manager Joe Maddon: "No fun losing a David Price. Hate it. But we have to do what is best for our group. Continue to move it forward and thats what weve done." Tampa Bay signed Price to a $14 million deal for this season, avoiding arbitration, but he isnt eligible for free agency until after next season. That means Detroits rotation -- which also includes Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello -- should be impressive in 2015 even if Scherzer leaves via free agency this off-season. "Were trying to win this year, but we do have David Price for next year," Dombrowski said. "Thats helpful." The Tigers are without a World Series championship since 1984. Last seasons team lost to Boston in the AL championship series. Detroit had to give up quite a bit to get Price. Smyly actually started Thursdays game and pitched five innings. The 25-year-old left-hander is 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA this season. Smyly said he found out about the trade on social media, and Dombrowski came in and told him soon thereafter. "Didnt see it coming," he said. "These guys are awesome. We have a great team, a winning team. So its hard to say goodbye, but its part of baseball. Happens to everybody." Jackson is hitting .273 and has been Detroits regular centre fielder throughout this run of division titles. The 23-year-old Franklin hit .294 in 75 games this season with Triple-A Tacoma. He appeared in 17 games with the Mariners, hitting .128. "Its not waving a white flag at all," Rays president Matt Silverman said. "If your team plays to the level that it can, especially considering all the head-to-head games we have within our division, we have a chance to make up the deficit and get into the playoffs. Its more difficult without David, but if the rest of the team plays up to their potential, were going to be playing meaningful games in September." With a lineup anchored by Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Ian Kinsler -- and that remarkable rotation -- Detroit has remained in first place for almost all of 2014. The Tigers tried to shore up one trouble spot -- the bullpen -- by trading for Joakim Soria last week. Now Detroit has emerged with Price in another bold move aimed at bringing a championship to the Motor City. "I dont know if were going to win by any means -- theres other good clubs," Dombrowski said. "But getting the opportunity to add a guy like David Price doesnt come along very often." ' ' '