Dein erstes Forum » reer, Yao decided to go back to Chin

CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon was driving his RV through Virginia two years ago when he got the news. Andrew Friedman was leaving Tampa Bay to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers.One pivotal moment on the road to this years NL Championship Series.A month after Friedmans departure, Maddon was introduced as the 54th manager of the lowly Chicago Cubs. Friedman hired general manager Farhan Zaidi in his first big move in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers continued their winning ways.Now Maddon and Friedman are together again, with a spot in the World Series on the line. The Cubs and Dodgers play Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night at Wrigley Field.We stay in touch all the time, Maddon said before his team worked out on Friday. I know his family really well. His moms a trip. I really enjoy the whole group. So Andrew and I are very close.Friedmans move to sunny LA triggered an opt-out clause in Maddons contract, and Chicago jumped on the opportunity to put the Pennsylvania native in its dugout. The decision has worked out quite well so far, with the Cubs returning to the NLCS for the second straight year for the first time.It turns out there are lots of friends on each side of this years series.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts contributed a famous steal to Bostons run to the World Series title in 2004, stopping an 86-year drought. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer worked for the Red Sox at the time, and they acquired Roberts in a trade with Los Angeles on July 31 that year.I kind of put Theo and Jed together and theyre good friends of mine, Roberts said, and theres a lot of, a little bit of banter, but obviously Ive got the ultimate respect for those guys and they really helped me get a ring.Roberts and the Dodgers arrived in Chicago on Friday, fresh off a dramatic 4-3 victory at Washington in Game 5 of their NL Division Series. The NL West champions used six pitchers in the series-clinching win, including closer Kenley Jansen for a career-high 51 pitches and ace Clayton Kershaw for the final two outs.The taxing finale in Washington left Roberts few options for Game 1 of the NLCS, and he said Kenta Maeda will get the ball for the opener against the Cubs. Roberts wasnt ready to announce his rotation for the rest of the series, but hinted Kershaw likely would go in Game 2 on Sunday night.Physically, he feels great, Roberts said before the Dodgers workout. Hes going to go out there and get a lift in and throw and run and do what he does. So, obviously, were not prepared to make that decision yet, but hes tracking to start when we all think.Jansen thinks he will be ready for the NLCS opener, and Kershaw said he felt fine. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner also said he isnt sure when he will make his next start.I havent heard a thing, he said.The 28-year-old Maeda went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in his first season in the majors. But the Japanese right-hander has lost three straight starts, lasting just three innings in his first career playoff appearance Monday against Washington.Weve been relying a lot on our relief pitchers to take the load, so I want to be able to -- Im really just focused on throwing quality innings as long as I can, Maeda said through a translator. And as long as I keep throwing quality innings, then I would be able to throw longer and deeper into the game.The Cubs have been resting since they used a four-run ninth to finish off San Francisco with a 6-5 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Jon Lester is lined up to start Game 1, followed by Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey in a repeat of the Division Series.Lester pitched 15 innings of one-run ball in two starts against Los Angeles this year, and the Dodgers hit .213 against lefty pitching overall.Hes good. And right now hes at the top of his game, Maddon said. I mean, from what Ive seen, hes had a couple hiccups, which everybody does. But, man, hes been pretty much right on the last couple months, including the first game of the playoffs for him.There was some question about Hendricks health after he had a comebacker go off his right forearm in Game 2 against the Giants. But the right-hander, who had a major league-best 2.13 ERA this year, felt fine after a bullpen session on Thursday, allowing the Cubs to finalize their rotation.Our staff has been really, really good this year, and I think that, really, if you put all of our names in a hat and pulled one out, I dont think you could go wrong, Lester said. So, its a huge honor, especially for an organization like this, to get the ball again and try to go out and give us a good start.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenapAngel Di Maria Argentina Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Marcos Rojo Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com/Maxi-Rodriguez-Copa-America-Jersey/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Lionel Messi Argentina Jersey . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Custom Argentina Soccer Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session.Call it the Big Bang of NBA fandom in China.Chinese basketball fans began watching NBA games in 1987, the year in which China Central Television (CCTV) began broadcasting NBA games. Megastars such as ?Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson instantly became household names. Then along came more transformational American talents like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James?and Stephen CurryYao Ming, however, always has a special place in Chinese fans hearts.The 7-foot-6 center from Shanghai isnt flashy. Unlike Allen Iverson, Yaos image is so clean that it borders on boring. The color of Yaos Reebok sneakers is so dull that for many years in China it lagged far behind Nikes glamour shoes.Hes too tall -- basically no Chinese person can relate to or emulate his playing style. Generation after generation, Chinese teenagers have worn baggy pants like Iverson or Under Armour sneakers like Curry, mimicking the look and moves of their idols. And they simply dont practice Yaos post moves.But Yao is one of us. His experience is our experience; his time is our time.A generational symbolIn China, those who were born in the 1980s are called post-80ers. They are part of the first generation that started to enjoy the benefits of Chinas economic reforms of the late 70s that allowed a more open market. Yao was born in 1980. His parents generation emerged hungry from the suffering and political turmoil they grew up in. They were able to provide for their children. When Yao was growing up, millions of Chinese people started to see the world beyond their own windows.Former NBA commissioner David Sterns tireless efforts to globalize the NBA took root in China in 1987, that same year, the American fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken opened its first store in Beijing. Two years later, the first Shanghai KFC outlet opened, and some time later, a 10-year-old Yao waited two hours in line to get his first taste of American food.Fifteen years after that the Houston Rockets drafted Yao as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. The NBAs popularity in China boomed. His first game against Shaquille ONeal and the Lakers attracted more than 200 million viewers in China. The Rockets instantly beccame Chinas team.dddddddddddd Former U.S. President Bill Clinton described Yao Ming as Chinas single largest export to the United States.Yaos emergence on an elite world sports stage was followed by two fellow post-80ers: Liu Xiang, Yaos fellow Shanghai native, a gold-medal-winning 110-meter hurdler from the 2004 Olympics and world-record holder. And then came Li Na, at one time the worlds No. 2-ranked womens tennis player and two-time Grand Slam winner.By no small coincidence the trios success paralleled Chinas. The countrys gross domestic product per capita in 1987 was $302. It rose to $1,149 by 2002. That same year, KFC opened Chinas 700th restaurant.Post-YaoYao retired in 2011 because of persistent injury issues. Liu was next in 2012, and Li finished her career in 2014. In China, this big three enjoyed once-in-a-lifetime status, not only because each had world-class achievements, but also because they crafted a brand-new kind of Chinese athlete. They spoke English; they had a unique sense of humor; and their charisma was incomparable and, most importantly, authentic. After he finished his NBA career, Yao decided to go back to China. In a 2014 interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, he said: There is more opportunity [in China]. We have a lot that can be developed.He was correct. Now back in China, he has made himself a professional basketball club owner (in 2009, he bought the Shanghai Sharks, his former CBA team), a successful businessman (he owns his own wine label), a congressman and an ambassador for wildlife protection.In 2015, Chinas per capita GDP was $8,027. KFC has more than 5,000 outlets all over the country.Yao is the product of his era. Fortunately for him and for most Chinese people, it has been a very good era.On Friday in Springfield, Massachusetts, an entire country will celebrate Yao Mings Hall of Fame entry. Undoubtedly his speech will thank everybody important to him. But it is the Chinese fans who will also thank him, for being the countrys best export -- and import -- between United States and China. ' ' '