Topic: sually belittles his opponents with a tor
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners wallet is still open. They reached agreement Thursday on a $14 million, two-year deal with reliever Fernando Rodney, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a physical. The deal, first reported by ESPN, also includes performance bonuses. The agreement with Rodney is general manager Jack Zdurienciks latest splurge in a busy off-season. Seattles big splash was the signing of second baseman Robinson Cano to a $240 million, 10-year contract, but the team followed with deals for Corey Hart, Logan Morrison and John Buck Rodney had 37 saves for Tampa Bay last season, appearing in 68 games. He saved 85 games in two seasons for the Rays and will be reunited with new Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon. The pair was together in Detroit where Rodney pitched from 2002-09 and was one of the top relievers in baseball. After two down seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Rodney revitalized his career with an All-Star season for the Rays in 2012 and another solid campaign in 2013. Rodney had a career-best 48 saves and a 0.60 ERA with the Rays in 2012. Rodney will go into spring training with the chance to claim the closer role for the Mariners. It was a position of inconsistency a year ago with Tom Wilhelmsen starting the season as the Mariners closer before struggles led to Danny Farquhar getting an opportunity. Wilhelmsen finished with 24 saves but none after July 28 when he was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma and appeared in eight games. Farquhar took over as Seattles closer in August and had 16 saves. AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. Discount Air Max Plus . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. Cheap Air Max Plus China . -- A deflected pass that landed in DeSean Jacksons hands. http://www.clearanceairmaxplus.com/.com) - The Hatch Attack is back in the Southern Conference. Air Max Plus Clearance . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. Air Max Plus Wholesale . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.Nick Diaz got a hug the other night, out of the blue. A male fan came up to the oft-prickly UFC fighter on the street and showed him some love. Somebody just walked up and hugged me, Diaz recalled. I figured I know this person, I live in a small town. Then it was like I dont know this person at all. Ive got to deal with that. The 31-year-old bad boy from Stockton, Calif., wasnt really complaining. Pressed on the issue, he conceded the happy stranger was a nice guy and a huge fan. He gave me the hug first before he told me that, Diaz said with a laugh. But he was really excited, he really was a big fan. And I appreciated he wasnt weird or nothing. He was just a fan. It speaks volumes about Diaz that the former Strikeforce champion attracts such a following despite often refusing to play by the rules and showing a snarling persona rather than a smile. There are two kinds of Diaz watchers: those who applaud his I dont give a damn attitude and those who tune in hoping he will have the trash talk beaten out of him by his opponent. For the UFC, thats two fan bases in one and helps explain why it keeps going back to what amounts to a six-foot walking headache. UFC president Dana White was reaching for the aspirin again this week when Diaz failed to show up for a public workout session Wednesday ahead of his UFC 183 showdown Saturday with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Its the first fight for the 39-year-old Silva (33-6) since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in a loss to title-holder Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013. Diaz (27-9-1) had elected not to get on his scheduled flight, the UFC later explained. The fighter landed in Las Vegas later Wednesday but not before White tweeted a photo of a milk carton with Diazs face on the side. White said this week that a film crew dispatched to Diazs home for the UFC Embedded video series had been unable to find him. This is a fighter who was pulled from a UFC 137 title bout with then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after refusing to show up for press conferences. He once brawled with fellow fighter Joe (Diesel) Riggs in the hospital after their UFC 57 showdown. Diaz has also been suspended twice for positive marijuana tests.dddddddddddd Diaz told the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the most recent failed drug test that he had been prescribed a medical marijuana card to help deal with his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). When Diaz did fight St-Pierre at UFC 158, he showed off his chatty side by launching into a stream of consciousness monologue of which White later said (In terms of) craziness, that was a 10 out of 10. He is a fascinating human being, very tough to figure out, White added. What most people care about, he does not. Hes a very unique individual. Younger brother Nate is equally abrasive. His signature win involved flexing his muscles and displaying two middle fingers while opponent Kurt Pellegrino was locked in a triangle choke. After losing to GSP, Nick Diaz had reporters and White shaking their heads when the fighter confessed: Ive never paid taxes in my life, Im probably going to go to jail. Diaz, a black belt in jiu-jitsu with slick boxing skills, has also admitted he doesnt much like fighting for a living. Its pretty rough. I dont recommend anybody to be a fighter, he said last July. Fighting is not something I enjoy doing. Its something I do that I feel I have to do and thats just the way it is. I dont like to hurt anybody, he added. Im a non-violent person. And yet when he is in the cage, he usually belittles his opponents with a torrent of trash-talk. Diaz, whose workout regimen includes triathlons, has fought at both welterweight (170 pounds) and middleweight (185). He says he walks around at close to 200 pounds and that making 170 has been pretty rough in the past. For all his quirks, the UFC Primetime show before his UFC 143 fight with Carlos (The Natural Born Killer) Condit showed Diaz as a loyal, single-minded athlete willing to dispense with the social niceties in search of excellence. Diaz often said he wants to be known as someone who who kept it real. But he does it while travelling a bumpy road. Like my lifes a mess, Diaz said in March 2013. Im not afraid to admit it. ——— Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '