hit splurge in the series opener

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With no idea where he will be playing in the NBA next season, Kevin Love has withdrawn from this summers Team USA basketball roster. Love is in limbo while the Minnesota Timberwolves field offers for their three-time All-Star, a process that was complicated and likely lengthened when Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Andrew Wiggins signed his contract this week. Love is the latest All-Star to pull out of Team USA, which begins its training camp in Las Vegas next week to prepare for the FIBA World Cup in Spain. In recent weeks the Americans have lost Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. They have 18 players remaining and will choose 12 for the World Cup of Basketball roster. Love, who won gold medals at the 2012 Olympics and 2010 world championship and was one of the first players to commit to play this summer, told USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo that he would be unavailable for training camp that starts Monday. "He wants to play but its a little bit of a sign of the times when you look at the league in terms of contracts, rumoured trades," Colangelo told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "All of those circumstances puts players Im a funny position." The Cavaliers have been in pursuit of Love since before the draft. Their chances of landing Love, who can opt out of his contract next summer and has told the Timberwolves he wants to play for a contender, increased exponentially when LeBron James chose to return to play in Cleveland. The Timberwolves have demanded Wiggins, the No. 1 overall draft pick, in a package in return for Love and the Cavaliers have gradually softened on their position to include the dynamic 19-year-old wing player in trade talks. Under NBA rules, Wiggins cannot be traded until 30 days after he signed his contract with the Cavaliers. That length of time allows other teams to make offers for Love as well, but also makes it too risky for Love to participate with Team USA. An injury could derail any trade possibilities, so Love had to take the difficult step of informing Colangelo on Friday night that he would not be able to participate. It had to be a tough call for Love to make. He has long held playing for Team USA as one of the highest honours possible and has referred to his experience of winning gold in London as the pinnacle of his young career. While other big stars like James were stepping away from the team to get some rest this summer, Love took pride last year in joining with Kevin Durant to be among the first elite players to recommit to the World Cup team. "I think he truly is remorseful," Colangelo said. Love was a vital piece to the London team, giving the Americans a rebounding presence and a much-needed big man to stretch the floor. But Colangelo said the team would be able to get by without him, pointing to an experienced roster and rising star Anthony Davis, who was on the Olympic team but played only sparingly. "Its not like theres a barrel full of power forwards that can rebound and shoot the ball like Kevin Love," Colangelo said. But in international competition, where teams generally play smaller than they do in the NBA, players such as Indianas Paul George and Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons could help fill the void. DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond are other big men that should give the Americans a presence in the paint. "Someone is going to have an opportunity to step up," Colangelo said. "Were kind of anxious to get started to look at this." ___ AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report. Air Force 1 Wholesale Cheap .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Air Force 1 Discount .That is precisely what they got Sunday.The Ravens trailed at halftime and never built a comfortable lead against lowly Jacksonville, yet did just enough to squeeze out a 20-12 win to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. http://www.cheapairmaxchinawholesale.com/air-max-90-outlet.html . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Air Max 270 Wholesale . The lightning strike was in the parking lot of Crew Stadium on Saturday night, but its not known if the off-duty lieutenant was struck directly, Columbus Fire Department Battalion Chief Tracy Smith said. The firefighter, identified as Lt. Air Max 97 China Wholesale . The Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran linebacker to a three-year deal Tuesday, hours after the start of CFL free agency. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Mike Leake wasnt about to let this 8-0 lead get away. Jay Bruces homer helped the Reds get ahead by eight runs for the second day in a row, and Leake made this big lead stand up, pitching eight innings on Saturday for an 11-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. A day earlier, the Blue Jays pulled off the second-biggest comeback in their history. Down 8-0 after the second inning, they rallied to a 14-9 victory behind a pair of homers from Edwin Encarnacion. With their bullpen depleted, the Reds needed a solid effort from Leake (5-6), who went eight innings for the first time since May 13. "I already knew that we needed something, but its not like you can do it on command," Leake said. "My focus today was getting strike out within the first two pitches and going after them." The Reds got ahead 8-0 after four innings on Saturday against J.A. Happ (6-4), and the Blue Jays didnt have another big comeback in them. Leake had a lot to do with it, allowing the Blue Jays only four hits, including Colby Rasmus homer. "That was a character game," manager Bryan Price said. "We needed to show up and get yesterday out of our minds. One thing this team has shown all year is that it doesnt get down on itself." The Blue Jays are 9-5 all-time against the Reds, having won their four previous interleague series. Cincinnatis offence has languished near the bottom of the majors for much of the season, with Bruce and Joey Votto spending time on the disabled list. Both are back, and the Reds are starting to hit. Theyve scored at least nine runs in four of their last six games. Devin Mesoraco added a three-run homer in the seventh, his third homer in three games, as the Reds pulled away and quickly forgot about their Friday night meltdown. "Dusty (Baker) always said, Momentum is only as good as the next days starting pitcher," Mesoraco said. "Leake went out and gave us what we needed, and we were able to put some runs on the board." Happ made it easy for the Reds in the first inning, walking three batterss with two outs.dddddddddddd Ryan Ludwick drove in two runs with a single, and another scored on Erik Kratzs passed ball. Bruces homer in the third inning gave him 47 homers off left-handers over the last five seasons, the most by any player in the majors. Bruce scored three times overall. The Reds made it 8-0 in a fourth inning highlighted by RBI doubles from Votto and Brandon Phillips. Leake singled and scored during the rally. Happ lasted only four innings and give up seven hits, eight runs and four walks. It was his shortest start of the season. The four walks matched his season high. It was the most runs hed allowed since July 13, 2012 against the Giants. "He didnt have it today," manager John Gibbons said. "We never really had a chance. It was another big deficit to overcome. It was a little disappointing after last night, but theres nothing we can do about it now." Billy Hamilton singled home a run, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. He also stole his 31st base, the most by a Reds rookie since Chris Sabo stole 46 in 1988. After their four-homer, 16-hit splurge in the series opener, the Blue Jays went back into their hitting funk. The AL East leaders have lost 10 of their last 14 games, scoring two runs or less seven times during that span. NOTES: Johnny Cueto, who leads the NL with a 1.92 ERA, goes in the final game of the series against R.A. Dickey, who got two extra days of rest after his last start because of a sore groin. ... Both teams bolstered their bullpens before the game. The Blue Jays called up LHP Rob Rasmussen and optioned RHP Liam Hendriks. The Reds called up RHP Carlos Contreras and designed OF Roger Bernadina for assignment. Both got into the game. ... SS Jose Reyes fouled a pitch off the side of his left knee in the fifth inning but stayed in the game and popped out. He was replaced as part of a double switch in the bottom of the inning. ... The Reds had their fourth sellout of the season. Theyre 1-3 in front of sellout crowds at Great American Ball Park this season. ' ' '