|
CHICAGO -- As their win total plummeted last season, one thing remained steady for the Chicago White Sox -- their faith in Robin Ventura. Joe Mays Womens Jersey . The White Sox rewarded their manager with a multi-year contract extension Friday, announcing the move hours before their annual fan convention opened. The terms were not disclosed. The extension comes after the White Sox dropped from second in the AL Central in Venturas first season to last with 99 losses in his second year. "You lose 99 games, there are going to be questions like that, about where this organizations headed and why they think the people in charge are the right people to get them through their end goal," general manager Rick Hahn said. "I would say we saw in 2012 and 2013 two extremes in terms of being a first-place club and being a club that was a disappointed in terms of performance. Throughout each of those extremes, Robins leadership was unwavering." Venturas contract was set to expire after this year. He turned down an extension before the 2013 season, leading to speculation that he might not want to stick around much longer, but he insisted that wasnt the case. He wanted to give Hahn -- then in his first season as GM -- a chance to work with him before making a long-term commitment. "I just felt it was important for Rick to have a full year of doing the job, us working together," Ventura said. "Then, you have the ability and freedom to decide if Im the right guy for the job. Nothing really changed in my mind of where I want to be and what I want to do. Its just more of it being his first time going through, I just wanted to make sure he had the ability and the freedom to do that. Now with the way last year went, the off-season, a lot of communication, a lot of talks of where were headed, how were going to do it -- Im excited to just keep going." Hahn, who got bumped up from assistant GM in October 2012 to replace the promoted Ken Williams, called it a selfless act by Ventura. "(It) allowed me the latitude to get comfortable," Hahn said. "It speaks to what kind of good man he is and actually makes a decision like this all the easier because of it." A former All-Star third baseman, Ventura had never managed at any level when he replaced Ozzie Guillen. And the results his first season were promising. The White Sox led the Central for much of 2012 before finishing second to Detroit with 85 wins, but there was a huge drop-off last year. Chicago wound up last in the division at 63-99, giving Ventura a 148-176 mark in two seasons. The White Sox hit just .249 as a team and their home run total dropped from third in the majors at 211 to 19th at 148. With little speed, there was no way to make up for the drop in power, and compounding the problem was the poor play on defence. They went from leading the majors in fielding percentage to ranking 29th, with Alexei Ramirez committing 22 errors and tying the Cubs Starlin Castro for the major league lead among shortstops. "Its imperative that we show improvement," Hahn said. "Its imperative that we show growth, especially on the position player side. We feel we have the ability to contend. But the most important thing for us is going to be allowing these young guys room to grow." Venturas steady hand, his ability to relate, came up over and over on Friday. Its why the White Sox believe he is the right manager, particularly on a team with some key young players. They signed Cuban slugger Jose Abreu to a six-year, $68 million contract, hoping he can add pop. Theyll have a full year with outfielder Avisail Garcia after acquiring him from Detroit in the midseason deal that sent Jake Peavy to Boston, too. Theyve added some youth, athleticism, to their lineup. They believe they have enough pitching to compete with Chris Sale leading the rotation, even if they didnt land Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka. And they insist Venturas the man to lead them. "He just doesnt miss on how to handle guys," longtime star Paul Konerko said. "Hes stern with them, he gets his point across. But for a team of this makeup, Robin is such a good fit. Im glad he would want to stay." Joe Mays Jersey . Not exactly bursting with sentimental feelings, Matthew Lombardi makes an odd return to the state of Tennessee on Thursday night. Aaron Murray Womens Jersey . Fans can follow 150+ hours of Wimbledon coverage across TSN platforms – TSN, TSN2, TSN GO, and TSN Radio. French-language coverage of Wimbledon is available on RDS. As the undisputed Canadian home of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, TSN continues its exclusive coverage of Grand Slam tennis following record ratings from the French Open – including more than 1. CROMWELL, Conn. -- Scott Langley is being careful not to get too far ahead of himself in the Travelers Championship. Thats the mistake he said he made three weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament when he shot a 79 in the final round to drop into a tie for 28th. Winless in two seasons on the PGA Tour, the 25-year-old Langley took the second-round lead in the Travelers on Friday, following his opening 64 with a 65 to reach 11 under 129. He had eight birdies, a double bogey and a bogey in the second round at TPC River Highlands. "Ive been in contention. I played in the final group on Sunday at Memorial," Langley said. "This weekend, Im not going to think about possibilities. Im not going to think about what it means to win. Im not going to think about any of that stuff. Im just going to keep my head down and play my game." Michael Putnam, Harris English and K.J. Choi were a stroke back. Putnam shot 63, matching the best round of the day. English had a 64, and Choi shot 65. Langley was 11 under after 10 holes Friday, but an errant approach shot on the 342-yard, par-4 second hole led to a double bogey. "I was ticked off because it was such an easy mistake, a simple wedge shot," said Langley, trying to become the fifth straight first-time PGA Tour winner in the event. Langley birdied the next hole. Ive given myself a lot of short birdie opportunities the first two days. Those are nice," Langley said. "When you start adding up thhree, four and five almost tap-in birdies, that just really kind of boosts you up. Aaron Murray Jersey. " First-round leader Brendan Steele had a 69 and to top the group at 9 under. He made three bogeys on his first nine holes, but rallied with four straight birdies on Nos. 3-6. Patrick Rodgers, the former Stanford star making his pro debut, was 5 under after a 69. Cameron Wilson, Rodgers college teammate who also was making his pro debut, missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 75. Defending champion Ken Duke was 3 under after a 72. Masters champion Bubba Watson, the 2010 Travelers winner for his first PGA Tour title, followed his opening 67 with a 72 to make the cut by a stroke. Putnam has finished in the top 25 once in 22 events this season. He matched his season best with a 67 in the first round and bettered it significantly Friday with the 63. "It was a perfect day for scoring. It left myself in some good spots and made a couple putts," Putnam said. "I actually three-putted 13 for par so it could have been even better." Defending champion Ken Duke was 3 under after a 72. "I hit a lot of bad shots and I have no excuse for it, but yeah, its good to finish strong and be here for the weekend," Duke said. "Thats what you always want to do." Erik Compton, the two-time heart transplant recipient who tied for second Sunday in the U.S. Open, missed the cut. He had a 69 in the second round to finish at 3 over. wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' ' |
