Miami shot 71 per cent in the first quarter and

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The recipe for small-market success in baseball generally goes something like this: Develop talent through your farm system, strike on a couple reclamation projects, uncover a few diamonds in the rough and then make one or two big trades to put you over the top. The Kansas City Royals have followed that blueprint to near-perfection, a big reason why the long-downtrodden franchise is leading the AL Central and on the cusp of its first playoff appearance in nearly 30 years. "Its hard. Theres very little room for error when youre a small-market club," general manager Dayton Moore said in an interview with The Associated Press. Indeed, the notoriously frugal Royals play in a market a fraction of the size of Los Angeles or New York. They draw smaller crowds that pay a pittance compared to Angels and Yankees fans. And the result is a much thinner checkbook than most of their big league brethren. The Royals opening-day payroll? Just over $91 million, a record for the club. But midway through last week, the five other division leaders — the Orioles, Angels, Nationals, Brewers and Dodgers — had an average payroll of nearly $147 million. And the Tigers, who are chasing the division-leading Royals, were shelling out more than $163 million. Its the same struggle that has taken place in Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Colorado and elsewhere in recent years: the haves versus the have-nots, the well-heeled against the wishful thinkers. Yet the Royals, just like others have done in the past, are defying the odds. And with a finishing stretch filled with last-place teams, there is genuine optimism that a team that hasnt made the playoffs since 1985 might end the longest post-season drought in major pro sports. "Theres a lot of confidence," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We knew we were capable as a group of doing special things. They had that confidence, and now that confidence level has even increased knowing they have what it takes to take this thing all the way through." So, how have the Royals done it? How have they turned around an entire franchise accustomed to losing given the financial situation inherent in the game? Well, Moore provided a step-by-step look at the recipe, and it all started with: DEVELOPING THEIR OWN PLAYERS: The Royals had one of the worst farm systems in baseball when Moore arrived in 2006. But several years of high draft picks — thank you very much, 100-loss seasons — gave him a chance to replenish. First baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and catcher Salvador Perez are all homegrown players who are regular starters. "We knew we had to build a strong farm system and graduate players to the major leagues, and we knew it would take some time," Moore said. "History tells us its three or four years of producing at the minor league level if everything goes right, and two to four years of playing at the major league level. We had to have patience." Thats not always easy to have, especially for a long-suffering fan base. Developing talent from within merely forms the foundation for a championship team, though. Even the best GMs will occasionally miss on the draft. No, success also takes: STRIKING ON RECLAMATION PROJECTS: The Royals gave away virtually nothing a couple years ago for Jeremy Guthrie, and hes proven to be a reliable starter. They gave Jason Vargas a $32 million contract this past off-season, even though he was merely mediocre with the Angels last season, and hes outperformed the deal in almost every way. Vargas is 10-6 with a career-best 3.17 ERA. "Our scouts have made some great recommendations," Moore said, "and I do my best to weigh the information and make good decisions. And you expect them all to work, but know they wont." When they dont, poor decisions can be costly. The Royals gave forgettable pitcher Gil Meche a $55 million contract early in Moores tenure, and it set the rebuilding process back years. In other words, striking on reclamation projects takes a little of luck. So does: FINDING DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: Small-market franchises rarely outbid big-market clubs for top international talent. The Royals cant match the Yankees when they dole out $155 million to Masahiro Tanaka, or the Rangers when they spend lavishly to bring Yu Davish over from Japan. Instead, theyve had to scour the globe for relative bargains. The Royals signed Perez as a 16-year-old from Venezuela, and now the 24-year-old catcher is a two-time All-Star. Yordano Ventura signed for a $28,000 bonus in 2008 and the rookie flamethrower is 10-9 with a 3.40 ERA. All-Star closer Greg Holland was drafted in the 10th round out of Western Carolina, and speedy outfielder Jarrod Dyson in the 50th round from a Mississippi junior college. "We all come from different places," Dyson said. "I think thats one of our strengths." The draft, the player development, the reclamation projects and diamonds in the rough — that might be enough to be competitive. But to get over the top, to truly contend, it still takes: ONE OR TWO BIG MOVES: The Royals have made two blockbuster trades since Moores arrival, and both of them have proven to be critical in establishing their winning roster. The first happened in 2010, the Royals traded Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to Milwaukee for a package of prospects that included outfielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar, both of them now starters. The second deal happened prior to last season, when the Royals sent several top prospects to Tampa Bay for James Shields, their ace, and Wade Davis, their setup man. Whether thats enough to put the Royals over the top will be born out the final month of the regular season. But at least for now, the Royals are back to playing meaningful baseball. "Weve got a long way to go, as you know. We certainly believe in our players. We have from Day 1," Moore said. "But its still such a long, long way to go. We have a month left. We have a lot of baseball to play. We just have to keep pushing." Bob Lilly Youth Jersey . -- New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no concerns about the health of shortstop Derek Jeter, who was limited to 17 games last season due to leg injuries. Jay Novacek Womens Jersey . And like the near entirety of last season, Jonathan Bernier and Torontos goaltending tandem is up to the task. http://www.cowboysfootballgearshop.com/michael-gallup-jersey/ .A. Dickey earned an American League Gold Glove on Tuesday to become the first Toronto Blue Jays pitcher to win the award. Connor McGovern Cowboys Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Deion Sanders Cowboys Jersey . When Reyes signed a US$106-million, six-year deal with Miami last month, there was speculation Ramirez was unhappy about being supplanted at short. But new manager Ozzie Guillen sold Ramirez on the idea.MIAMI - Jason Kidds wins against Miami keep piling up.So do the Heat injuries, with Dwyane Wade now hurting again.Brandon Knight had 17 points and six assists and the Milwaukee Bucks put seven players in double figures on the way to beating the Heat 109-102 on Tuesday night.Khris Middleton also scored 17 for the Bucks, who got 15 from Jerryd Bayless, 14 from O.J. Mayo, 13 from Giannis Antetokounmpo, 12 from John Henson and 11 from Chris Dudley. And Kidd moved to 7-0 in regular-season games as a coach against Miami.They believe in one another and they believe they can win, Kidd said. Even when we were down, guys didnt panic, guys didnt take bad shots, our defence tightened up and we went from there.With fighters Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao watching courtside, Milwaukee beat Miami for the third time in as many meetings this season, moving three games clear of the Heat in the race for No. 6 in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks bench outscored Miamis 44-13.Chris Bosh had 26 points for Miami, Mario Chalmers added 21 points and eight assists and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Miami became the first Milwaukee opponent in 18 games to shoot better than 50 per cent, and it still didnt matter.The Heat lost Wade in the third quarter with a strained right hamstring. Wade — who finished with 12 points in 18 minutes — has also dealt with left hamstring trouble on two other occasions this season.Its just so disappointing and difficult not to be at full strength or at least 75 per cent, Bosh said. And we dont have room for injury.Wade leaving was the latest development in the season-long saga of Heat injury news came after Miami made the pregame decision to keep Luol Deng (left calf soreness) and Chris Andersen (elbow and back soreness) out of the starting lineup, with Danny Granger and Whiteside taking their places.Granger scored 14 for Miami.Were not feeling sorry for ourselves, said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Nobodys feeling sorry for us.Milwaukee led by 10 points in thee second quarter, but the Heat — who have struggled in third quarters all season — roared out of halftime and went up 78-68 with 3:54 left in the period on a 3-pointer by Norris Cole, the capper of a 13 1/2-minute stretch in which Miami outscored the Bucks 43-23.dddddddddddd.After that, all Milwaukee.The Bucks tied the game with an 11-1 run that took less than 2 minutes late in the third, and put it away with a 17-5 run in the fourth that turned a one-point deficit into a 102-91 lead with 3:33 remaining.Different guys on different nights, Dudley said. And thats the motto of our team.TIP-INSBucks: The NBA announced earlier Tuesday that Antetokounmpo is heading to the dunk contest at All-Star weekend, along with Minnesotas Zach LaVine, Orlandos Victor Oladipo and Brooklyns Mason Plumlee. ... Ersan Ilyasova left in the first half with a groin injury, after scoring four points in 10 minutes.Heat: With Deng and Andersen out, Miami used its 18th starting lineup in 45 games. ... Miami shot 71 per cent in the first quarter and still trailed 30-29 — the second time since December 2002 that the Heat shot that well in an opening quarter but was still behind. ... Granger became the 75th player in NBA history with 1,000 3-pointers, when he made his first on Tuesday.SUPER HEATMiami plays at Boston on Sunday afternoon, then might get to see Patriots fans celebrating a title. The Heat will be staying in Boston to watch the New England-Seattle matchup in the Super Bowl that night and wont fly to Detroit — the second stop on next weeks four-game trip — until the following day.STARRY KNIGHTSpoelstra didnt reveal his All-Star reserves ballot, but strongly suggested that Knight — a South Florida native and the Bucks starting point guard — should be heading to the game next month in New York. Brandon Knight is underrated, whether he makes the All-Star team or not, Spoelstra said. I think everybody views him as an All-Star.UP NEXTBucks: At Orlando on Thursday.Heat: Host Dallas on Friday. ' ' '