Aktuelle News! » ed, the Raptors got their edge back, besting Boston 90-70

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves agreed to eight-year contract with first baseman Freddie Freeman that is worth about $125 million on Tuesday. The deal was confirmed by the team on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, outfielder Jason Heyward and the Braves agreed to a $13.3 million, two-year contract. Heyward and Freeman had filed for salary arbitration last month. The 24-year-old Freeman was an All-Star last year when he hit .319 with 23 homers and 109 RBIs. He matched his career high in home runs and set highs in batting average and RBIs which finishing fifth in NL MVP voting. He has topped 20 home runs in three straight seasons. "Freddie has established himself as one of the best young talents in the game," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We are excited to sign one of our own homegrown players to a contract that will keep him in a Braves uniform for the next eight seasons." Closer Craig Kimbrel is the Braves only player left in arbitration. Heyward, also 24, and Freeman are key members of the Braves core of young stars. Kimbrel, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, outfielder Justin Upton and starting pitchers Julio Teheran and Mike Minor are 26 or younger. Evan Gattis, 27, is replacing Brian McCann as the starting catcher. Heyward was happy to avoid arbitration. "In my head it basically says to me, lets go play some baseball," he said. Heyward is coming off an injury-filled season, and Wren said the relative lack of playing time complicated the arbitration process and helped make the two-year contract possible. Heyward hit .254 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs in a career-low 104 games during his fourth season with the Braves. He had an appendectomy on April 22 and broke his jaw on Aug. 21 when he was hit by a pitch from New York Mets left-hander Jon Niese. "Last year was such a tough year physically, through no fault of his own, with the appendectomy and getting hit in the face," Wren said. "So it also made it tough for both sides in an arbitration situation because its hard to pin a number when youre comparing to players who played a lot more." Heyward said he has moved past his injuries. "Physically, I feel great, being 24 years old and being blessed with some genetics to go along with that," he said. "Im growing up still in this game and Im looking forward to what my body is going to allow me to do going forward." Heywards deal calls for a $1 million signing bonus, payable in equal installments on May 1 and July 1, and salaries of $4.5 million this year and $7.8 million in 2015. The 2015 salary would escalate based on a points system for 2014 accomplishments, going up $500,000 for 20 points and then by $25,000 for each additional point. Heyward would earn 10 points each for 502 plate appearances, All-Star game selection, a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger award and finishing 11th-to-20th in MVP voting. He would receive 15 points for 6th-to-10th in MVP, 25 points for third-to-fifth and 35 points for first or second. Heyward enjoyed his best season in 2012, when he hit .269 and set career highs with 27 homers, 82 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Heywards injuries did not prevent him from showcasing his versatility. A 2012 Gold Glove winner in right field, Heyward started 20 games in centre last year. He spent most of the season hitting second in the order before he was moved to the leadoff spot by manager Fredi Gonzalez on July 27. Over his next 22 games, Heyward hit .349 with five homers, 15 RBIs and 23 runs. Heyward is projected as Atlantas leadoff hitter. "He provides a great presence," Wren said. "The one thing we saw, especially after Fredi moved him to the leadoff spot, it allowed him to utilize his speed, it allowed him to utilize his ability to get on base even to a greater degree. "I think other teams felt pressure from the very first pitch of the game, because all of a sudden now youve got a 6-foot-6, 230-pound leadoff hitter that can do some damage from the get-go. That came back to us time and time again, that theres no let up. It starts right away." Heyward is eligible for free agency after the 2015 season. He had asked for a raise from $3.65 million to $5.5 million in arbitration and had been offered $5.2 million. Nike Just Do It Pas Cher Home . The Kelowna, B.C. rink made the announcement on their facebook page on Thursday night. Nike Presto Just Do It Noir . Onyshko, from Minnedosa, Man., will compete in artistic gymnastics while Hanet, from Kelowna, B.C., will compete in lawn bowling as a para-athlete. "It is exciting that our Canadian athletes are starting to arrive at the Games Village," said Chantal Petitclerc, Canadas Chef de Mission. http://www.nikejustdoitchaussure.fr/. -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. Nike Just Do It France . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. Basket Air Force One Femme Pas Cher . - Regan Smith had the checkered flag in sight at Daytona a year ago and a freight train of cars in his rearview mirror.TORONTO - When Masai Ujiri and the Raptors hit a crossroads at this time a year ago, evaluating the sustainability of their unexpected turnaround, while weighing the merits of a potential rebuild, the decision to stay the course was aided by a changing landscape in their division. The Celtics - winners of the Atlantic in five of the last seven seasons - had recently hit the reset button, the Knicks and Nets failed to meet overzealous early-season expectations and the 76ers were, and continue to be, comically terrible by design. Opportunity knocked and Ujiri took advantage. Facing adversity 12 months later, the slumping Raptors find themselves in their most precarious situation since. Still, their woes pale in comparison to the varying degrees of misfortune that plague their neighbours in the division. A recently gutted Celtics team played the role of slump-buster on Saturday. Losers of four straight, the Raptors came into the game in search of the mojo that had fuelled their success throughout 2014. How would we know when theyve gotten their grove back, Dwane Casey was asked just ahead of tip-off. Youll see it, the Raptors coach responded. Youll see it. Everyone will see it. It didnt happen until about midway through the second quarter, but, when it happened, we saw it and we knew. The Raptors team weve become accustomed to - the one that grinds and outworks people - was back, albeit against a watered-down opponent. Plagued by first-quarter flatness, as Casey put it, over recent games, they stumbled out of the gate yet again, outscored after 12 minutes for the ninth time in 11 contests. Then, as suddenly as it vanished, the Raptors got their edge back, besting Boston 90-70 the rest of the way. I thought our defensive mojo was back, Casey said after his team snapped a four-game losing streak in their 109-96 victory over the Celtics. I saw guys moving their feet, cracking down, rebounding, doing the things we needed to do with activity and anticipation. We was tired of it, said James Johnson, who returned to the starting lineup Saturday evening. Everybody buckled in. Everybody took responsibility for what they were doing and we started playing Toronto Raptors defence. Less than halfway into the season, Toronto has the Atlantic all but locked up, almost by default. Saturdays win was their sixth in six games against divisional opponents, giving them a 9 1/2-game lead over Brooklyn in the Atlantic. Bostons fate was sealed during the summer of 2013 when Danny Ainge pulled the plug on the teams aging core, exchanging Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and coach Doc Rivers for younger players, expiring deals and draft picks. Now, that liquidation process is nearing its completion. Over the last month, Ainge has jettisoned Brandan Wright, is in the process of moving Jeff Green and sent long-time Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks while accumulating up to 14 total picks (first and second round) in the next two drafts. In the Celtics and 76ers, this division features two of the most blatantly aggressive tanking franchises in recent memory - maybe ever. Meanwhile, the Nets are stuck in limbo, handcuffed by an aging core, sizeable contracts and an injured point guard (Deron Williams - out indefinitely with a rib ailment). The last-place Knicks - losers of 15 straight - have hit rock bottom, recently ridding themselves of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, while Carmelo Anthony contemplates shutting it down for the season.dddddddddddd. With both mismanaged New York franchises on the hook for the majority of their draft picks over the coming years, neither are in an enviable position in the near future. Expediting the rebuilding process is not easy, but its also not unprecedented. The Celtics won just 24 games in 2006-07 before utilizing the assets they had accumulated to acquire Garnett and Ray Allen, ultimately winning a title the following season. The Raptors themselves are proof that theres no exact science to turning around an ailing franchise. But even as the Raptors struggle to reestablish their defensive identity, make no mistake, any of these other four organizations would trade places with them in a heartbeat. And when was the last time that could be said? Barring an unforeseen fall from grace or a speedy rebuild effort from one of their counterparts, equally unlikely, the Raptors seem poised to maintain control of the Atlantic for years to come. JOHNSON PROMOTION After a series of uninspiring starts over their recent slide, Casey had been mulling over a temporary rotation shake-up. As expected, he pulled the trigger on Saturday, reinstalling James Johnson into the first unit in place of Landry Fields at the small forward position. Fields had started nine of 14 games for the injured DeMar DeRozan, sitting out with a concussion in between. Filling in for Fields, Johnson excelled, averaging 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 block and 1.4 steals on 62 per cent shooting in five starts last month. Most coaches are hesitant to give away a players starting spot as a result of injury - Casey has long been a proponent of this philosophy - so Fields got the job back upon his return. Ultimately the teams play, primarily in the first quarter and early in the third, forced his hand. Johnson found out about the change when he arrived to their pre-game shootaround less than three hours before tip-off. I came in at the regular time, got my work in, Johnson said. We split off to groups. I went to white squad (the second unit) like usual and coach switched me Logging 36 minutes in his return to the first unit, Johnson recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, giving the Raptors a much-needed energy boost at the position. He covers up a lot of mistakes, said Kyle Lowry, who scored 19 points himself. He covers a lot of floor, a lot of ground. His effort has been unbelievable this season and we need him to keep it up. We love his energy, we love his enthusiastic nature and what he brings to the table. Johnson - a 58-per-cent-shooter and owner of the teams second-best defensive rating - has been one of Torontos most reliable performers on both ends of the floor this season. Still, Casey has been hesitant to increase the versatile forwards role, given his long-standing reputation of trying to do too much, primarily on offence. Slowly, the Raptors coach is coming around to the new and improved Johnson, who has made a concerted effort to play within himself in his second stint with Toronto. I think hes been under control, Casey said ahead of Saturd