ARLINGTON, Va.
[b]Reggie Jackson Jersey[/b] . -- Barry Trotz was late for an appointment because he was at the DMV, getting his first Virginia drivers license and plates. His son is enrolled in school, and hes lived in his new house long enough for the air conditioning to break down. Hes not a Tennessee resident for the first time in 17 years, and the life upheaval was such that he didnt take his usual summer vacation in British Columbia. And all that was more or less the easy part. Now he has to deal with Alex Ovechkin. Trotz is the new coach of the Washington Capitals, which means first and foremost he is the coach of the immensely talented three-time league MVP whose individual accolades have yet to translate into substantial playoff success. Things will be plenty different for everyone when training camp opens Friday, but what arguably matters most is how No. 8 takes to yet another attempt to change the way he plays. "Physically, hes a strong guy," Trotz said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But theres areas in his game he needs to grow in, and thats really my job, to help him grow his game." Trotz is Washingtons fifth coach since Ovechkin entered the league in 2005, but hes the first who has been a head coach elsewhere in the NHL. He led the Nashville Predators from inception to this year, with 1,246 regular season and playoff games under his belt. He has an established idea how he wants to run a team -- hes already rejigged the coaches meeting room with more cutting-edge technology and made it more of a "war room." He has so much cache that he was able to give owner Ted Leonsis a frank assessment of the Capitals deficiencies while interviewing for the job. "Its the culture," Trotz said. "I just think a little bit of the inmates were running the asylum, thats No. 1. I think theres good talent, and I felt it needed some order." Thats not a dig at one particular player or front office person, but Ovechkin, as team captain, would be a central figure in any sort of culture change. Trotz praised the Russian forwards passion, desire and individual accomplishments -- but said there needs to be more. "If Ovi is willing to listen," Trotz said, "hes going to have a chance to do some great team things. And he is willing to listen. I dont see any reason in my discussions (with him) that hes not willing to change. Now change is going to be sometimes difficult for people at times, but the willingness to change, I dont see that being a problem." Ovechkin led the NHL with 51 goals last season, but his plus-minus of minus-35 was third-worst in the league. Looking at the tape, Trotz sees too much staying in place. "Everybody goes after Ovi for probably his defensive game and some of those commitments, and, yeah, there can be improvement," Trotz said. "And Ive said to him, I just want him skating again. I always think hes just dynamic when hes skating. So I just asked him, be in really good shape, be ready to skate, because youre not dangerous when youre standing still." Trotz said he wants to retain the offensive potential shown by Ovechkin and the Capitals while introducing some of the defensive principles that worked well with the Predators. "I want the Capitals to not lose their identity of being able to score," Trotz said. "But I want them to add another identity that theyre hard to play against and theyre hard to score against. If we can add that to the repertoire, then wed be a pretty good team." Ovechkin was moved from left wing to right wing under previous coach Adam Oates. Trotz said he might use Ovechkin on both sides. "If hes playing the game that I envision him being able to play, then I can see him playing left wing -- and I can throw him on the right wing on another line," Trotz said. "To me, hes more dangerous on the left. ... Defensively, hes probably better on the right." No one would forgive the Capitals players for being fatigued with change, having switched systems several times in recent years under coaches Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Oates. Trotzs message: Get over it. "To be honest, a lot of times systems are a little bit of a cop-out," he said. "If youre a good player, it doesnt matter what system youre playing, you should be able to play it. I think they use it as an excuse. If youre at this level and you cant figure out your role, then you probably shouldnt be in this league."
[b]Joe DiMaggio Jersey[/b] . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma.
[b]Don Larsen Jersey[/b] .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year.Demetrious Johnson knows he only has so many years left to ply his trade in the fight game. Though hes merely 27 years old — and has already firmly etched his name in the record books as the inaugural UFC flyweight champion — Johnson is ready to entertain opportunities outside the octagon. In doing so, he hopes to take a page from womens bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey by filming movies between bouts. "Ronda Rousey was in The Expendables 3, then she fought Miesha Tate, then she did Entourage and now shes doing Fast & Furious 7," Johnson told UFC.ca during a phone interview. "So shes found the perfect balance in her career. "I mean, who knows, I might be a horrible actor. The only way to find out is if you try it." Johnson admitted his desire to explore the silver screen is at least partly due to his lengthy layoff between fights. The 125-pound kingpins most recent outing saw him deliver one of the most vicious knockouts of 2013, when he starched Joseph Benavidez with a beautifully-timed right hook in December. He now looks to net his fourth consecutive title defence when he meets heavy-handed striker Ali Bagautinov in the main event of UFC 174 in Vancouver, B.C. June 14. Johnson said he could easily jump from a film set back into full-time training without missing a beat. "I think Im ready for it," said Johnson. "I could go act for maybe two months and then Ive got another four months to get ready for a fight, which is way more time than I need. So theres a lot of downtime between my fights and it doesnt hurt to look into doing different things. "Obviously there werent a lot of No. 1 contenders in the division with me beating Joseph, John Dodson, John Moraga and Ian McCall. So there wasnt a No. 1 contender. I think the UFC wanted to put me on ice a little bit. I fought three times last year — thats more than any other champion recently." Though growing his name value is a big motivator, Johnsons key focus remains providing for his family. This past July, he and his wife, Destiny, welcomed their first-born son, Tyren. Of course, should Mighty Mouses star continue to rise, further stability for his loved ones will surely follow. Johnson said he hasnt let the pressures of fatherhood encroach upon his duties as champion. "My wife is a stay-at-home mother and she does a fantastic job watching my son while Im training," Johnson said. "She knows how important my training is when Im getting ready for my fights. So it hasnt really changed a lot. Obviously when Im out of the gym and at home Im hands-on with my son and spending time with family. Other than that, it really hasnt changed. "Obviously you want to train your butt off. That way you can make good money and provide for them. Other than that, its my career and Ive been doing it for a long time now. So now having anotherr mouth to feed makes it a little more serious, but I try not to let the emotion of that get to me.
[b]C.C. Sabathia Jersey[/b]. I try to go out there and do my best." When it comes to establishing himself as a draw in mixed martial arts, UFC 174 could represent a watershed moment for Johnson. The card marks his first time headlining a pay-per-view event. Thankfully for Johnson his name has been bolstered by three stunning performances on FOX cards in 2013. On top of knocking out Benavidez, he topped Dodson in a thrilling war and dispatched Moraga with a slick fifth-round armbar. Johnson feels his showings on FOX will translate to pay-per-view buys, but said his biggest concern is simply getting the job done against Bagautinov. "I just try not to think about it and let it happen naturally," said Johnson. "Obviously this is my first pay-per-view and I hope it sells very well, but at the end of the day Im just going to go out there, fight and compete. Hopefully people want to tune in and watch me fight. Its going to be a great fight. Ali Bagautinov is a great fighter and is coming off a three-fight win streak in the UFC." A talented Combat Sambo fighter, Bagautinov has been on a tear since debuting with the UFC in September. Following an impressive TKO victory against Marcos Vinicius, he secured consecutive decision wins over Tim Elliott and John Lineker to earn a flyweight title shot. Johnson said he and Bagautinov will give fans their moneys worth. "Hes a great fighter and always comes ready to fight," Johnson stated. "He has great wrestling and hits hard. Hes ready to try and take my title. Its going to make for a good fight because I dont go down easy. I dont go down without a fight and I think that right there is good enough for people to tune in." ----- The mixed martial arts world is still buzzing following newly-crowned UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaws spectacular upset over Renan Barao. Despite being a heavy underdog going into UFC 173 this past Saturday, Dillashaw put on a striking clinch en route to a fifth-round TKO victory. Though many were shocked by Dillashaws dismantling of Barao, UFC flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson was hardly surprised by the outcome. "I knew Dillashaw was going to bring a fight like that," Johnson told UFC.ca. "Thats how Dillashaw fights all the time. Dillashaw, out of the Team Alpha Male guys, hes one of the best fighters. He puts it together very well with the wrestling, feints, movement, angles — he does that all very well. So I kind of knew when he was going in to fight Renan Barao that it was going to be a great fight. I knew T.J. was going to bring the fight to him. "Youve seen with Renan Baraos last opponents they kind of wait back and respect him, but I knew T.J. was going to go fight him. Youve seen it in all his previous fights."
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