games and Octobers past

[ldh2013]

NEW YORK, N. .Y. - The New York Yankees made it official Saturday, announcing the completion of a seven-year deal with free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and a one-year contract for returning starter Hiroki Kuroda. The busy Bronx Bombers have been undergoing a pricey roster overhaul after missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years. Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, agreed to a $153 million deal with New York on Tuesday. The contract includes a $21 million team option for the 2021 season, with a $5 million buyout. If the option is exercised, the deal would be worth $169 million over eight years. The Yankees will hold an introductory news conference for Ellsbury at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Ellsbury, who turned 30 in September, led the majors with 52 stolen bases despite being hobbled late in the season by a broken right foot. The lefty-hitting leadoff man batted .298 with nine homers and 53 RBIs, and the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium should boost his power numbers. He joins a crowded outfield that will include Carlos Beltran, who agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract, according to two people familiar with the deal, on Friday. Beltrans agreement came hours after All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano decided to leave for Seattle. Outfielders Alfonso Soriano, Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells are all expected to return. Curtis Granderson, though, left for a deal with the crosstown Mets. Kuroda also agreed Friday to a one-year deal, worth $16 million, to come back and fill one of three holes in the rotation behind CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. Kuroda, who turns 39 in February, got off to a strong start last season before fading down the stretch. He finished 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA in 32 starts covering 201 1-3 innings. The deal includes bonuses of $250,000 for pitching 190 and 210 innings. New York introduced new catcher Brian McCann at a news conference Thursday. He signed an $85 million, five-year contract. When Beltrans deal is finalized, the Yankees will have committed about $172 million to 13 players for their 2014 luxury-tax payroll. That would leave them with approximately $5 million to spend if they intend to stay under the $189 million threshold, which includes all players on the 40-man roster and $11 million to $12 million for benefits. It appears unlikely New York would remain under the threshold unless Alex Rodriguez is suspended for most of the season, which would relieve the Yankees of much of his $25 million salary. . And as he walked into Progressive Field, a ballpark known as The Jake when he played in Cleveland the first time, Thome was flooded with memories of former teammates, games and Octobers past. .The Jays only said they were unable to come to terms on a contract with Seitzer, who was appointed Oct. . Driven on by a partisan pro-Colombian crowd that turned the Estadio Nacional into a sea of yellow, the South Americans scored through James Rodriguez and substitute Juan Quintero in a devastating six-minute spell in the second half to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Thursday.TORONTO (April 21, 2014) – The Northern Uprising has swept the nation. Overnight data from BBM Canada confirms the Toronto Raptors opening game against the Brooklyn Nets in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs attracted an average audience of 539,000 viewers – making it the most-watched Raptors game on English television in Canada in 12 years.* Saturdays broadcast ranks as TSNs second most-watched Raptors game ever and the teams most-watched game in Canada since 2002. Overall, more than 2.17 million unique viewers tuned in to TSN to watch the networks exclusive coverage of the Rapttors opening playoff game. . Audience levels peaked late in the fourth quarter as the Nets secured a 94-87 victory. The Raptors on TSN Canadians can follow the Raptors on Canadas Sports Leader throughout the First Round of the NBA PLAYOFFS. Live coverage continues tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 22) at 7 p.m. ET with Game 2: Brooklyn @ Toronto on TSN, TSN GO, and TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto. Source: BBM Canada *For electronic measurement data that dates back to 1994. Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 are based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters. ' ' '