88 pitches in that short time.Also, this will be his first start ever versus Baltimore.Tamp

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and other representatives of the team met Tuesday for about two hours with free agent centre Dwight Howard to make their pitch for keeping him in Los Angeles. "At the meeting, we told him how important he is to the Lakers team, franchise, fans and community, and why we feel this is the best place for him to continue his career," Kupchak said in a statement released by the team. "We are hopeful that Dwight decides to remain a Laker." Howard became one of the NBAs most coveted free agents when free agency opened Monday. The Lakers have made no secret they want to keep him. The Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks also are interested. Howards first, and perhaps only, season in Los Angeles was a disappointment, ending in a first-round playoff sweep, and he acknowledged being unhappy at times. But the Lakers want to keep the former Defensive Player of the Year, believing the extra year and about $30 million more they can give him will provide a huge advantage. The Lakers can offer a maximum of $118 million over five seasons, and other teams can offer $88 million over four years.Stitched NBA Jerseys . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. NBA Jerseys China .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Nike NBA Jerseys China . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace.BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays start a four-game series at Camden Yards on Thursday that means a whole lot to the hosts while the visitors will be simply playing spoiler.Baltimore (80-65) comes into the series after taking two of three in Boston and pulling to within one game of Boston (81-64) in the American League East and moving past Toronto into second place by one game.Also, the Orioles now are on top of the wild-card race, leading the Blue Jays (79-66) by that one game and Detroit (78-67) by two. The Orioles will have plenty of chance to make noise in the final 17 games with 14 coming versus American League East teams.The guys have earned the right to play these types of games, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said on masnsports.com. Its a very quiet confidence. Theyre not guys who toot their own horn. They kind of like when people sell them short, and now were going back to a place, our city, that gets them and gets what theyre doing for the last four years.Mark Trumbo hit his major league-best 42nd homer in the second inning Wednesday, and that gave the Orioles a 1-0 victory over the Red Sox in the series finale. Zach Britton earned his 43rd save in 43 chances in the ninth inning after Kevin Gausman threw eight shutout innings.The Orioles have struggled on the road all season but are coming off a trip where they took two of three versus Tampa Bay, Detroit and the Red Sox to go 6-3 overall.Baltimore now is 35-40 on the road but boasts a much stronger 45-25 record at Camden Yards, where the team plays its next 11 games -- these four versus the Rays (62-83) before taking on Boston (four games) and Arizona (three).Baltimore stands 11-4 thiis season versus the Rays, the most wins for the Orioles against any other club.dddddddddddd In addition, the Orioles have a 6-0 record at home against Tampa Bay.The Orioles still have a few injury problems. Theyre hoping to get set-up man Darren ODay back from the disabled list Sunday or right after that. Joey Rickard should be activated from the DL Monday, Showalter told the media in Boston on Wednesday.Steve Pearce received a PRP injection in his right elbow/arm on Wednesday, and his status remains unclear at this time.Yovani Gallardo will start for the Orioles in the series opener. They skipped him the last time through the rotation as the right-handers struggled this season, going 5-7 with a 5.44 ERA.The Rays (62-83) come into the series after two consecutive wins over the struggling Jays. Corey Dickerson and Kevin Kiermaier both homered in Wednesdays 8-1 victory over Toronto, giving the club a new record of 200 homers in one season.Blake Snell (5-8, 3.62 ERA) lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his last start, a loss to the Yankees on Sept. 9. He gave up three runs and made 88 pitches in that short time.Also, this will be his first start ever versus Baltimore.Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said even though his teams long been out of the playoff picture, games versus the American League East give them a good look at where theyre at.You gauge yourself against the teams you play in your division, Cash said. For whatever reason, weve played some good games against (Toronto). Thats a trend we need to continue against the rest of the division. ' ' '