Off Topic » who did it April 5, 2009, for Dallas,

CLEVELAND -- Jason Giambi pulled the red-and-blue block "C" cap off the hook in his locker, slipped it on and worked the bill, bending it to his exacting standards. Everything had to be just right. "Time to get that first one in," he said. After missing Clevelands first 18 games recovering from broken rib, Giambi was activated from the disabled Monday and was to make his season debut in the opener of a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Giambi was batting seventh. Indians manager Terry Francona was thrilled to have him anywhere in his lineup. "Im really glad," Francona said. "He means a lot to what we do. If he wants to hit a homer or two today, thats welcome. But having him back is real good. Hes one of the more special people that weve all been around, so to have him back fighting with us is a good thing." The 43-year-old Giambi is in his second season with the Indians, who werent sure what they were getting when they signed him to a minor league contract before the 2013 season. And although Giambi batted only .183 in 71 games, he provided invaluable leadership in Clevelands clubhouse and produced a few spine-tingling moments, none bigger than a game-ending pinch-homer on Sept. 24 that beat the Chicago White Sox. The win came during a 10-game winning streak that put the Indians in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. "That moment is what keeps me coming back," Giambi said. "You dont forget those. Those are special. What made it great was the time it happened and how hard we worked. And if that game gets away -- ... It was special. It gave everybody a taste of that finish, to go to the playoffs and be a part of it." With Giambi returning, Francona juggled his lineup, giving backup catcher and cleanup hitter Carlos Santana the night off. Lonnie Chisenhall started at third and batted fourth. Francona noticed Santana lunging at pitches Sunday and thought he could use a mental break. "I thought it would be good for him because hes starting to chase some balls out of the zone," he said. "I thought he was getting a little anxious. Hes always had that volatile swing, and he stays in the zone so well, but yesterday I thought he started chasing. So I thought I would give him a night to kind of take it easy." Giambis return gave Francona another offensive weapon, a needed one for a team thats struggled offensively. "Its a big, powerful lefty bat who can change the score with one swing," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "He just adds a confidence to the rest of the lineup." Giambi has become something of a big-brother figure to many of the younger Indians. After he finished dressing for batting practice, Giambi walked past Kipnis locker and reminded him that time was running short. "You got three minutes, kid," Giambi yelled to Kipnis, who said his older teammates contributions go way beyond hitting home runs. "People just feed off his positive energy and the experience he has," Kipnis said. "He just makes you feel more comfortable. Youre more relaxed knowing hes on your side. You can go to him with anything." Brendan McKay Jersey . Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. Charlie Morton Rays Jersey . "It feels good, Ive never had one before, not even in College," Hagelin said after the Rangers outgunned the Jets 4-2, behind some solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist following a pretty wide open first period. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1066i-ya...ersey-rays.html. - The Denver Broncos kept rookie wide receiver Tavarres King from joining the Green Bay Packers by promoting him to their active roster Tuesday. Nate Lowe Rays Jersey .com) - Roosevelt Jones had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead No. Rays Jerseys 2020 . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) – He had good saves on Giroux, Akeson, and Hartnell tonight. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Josh Smith was annoyed with himself earlier in the week, when his jumper with the game on the line missed badly and Detroit went on to lose to the New York Knicks. So when Smith had the ball in the final seconds again Saturday night, he went straight to the basket. "I wanted to be aggressive," Smith said. "When I caught it, I didnt want to settle." Smiths driving, left-handed bank shot with 1.2 seconds left gave the Pistons a 110-108 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Smith finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Brandon Jennings had 18 assists, the most in the NBA this season, to go with eight points and eight rebounds. Smith was involved in a few big plays in the final half-minute -- both good and bad. His 3-pointer as the shot clock expired put Detroit ahead 108-105 with 26.8 seconds left. Then he fouled Gerald Green while the Phoenix guard was shooting a 3-pointer. Green made all three free throws to tie it with 4.3 seconds remaining. The ensuing inbounds pass went to Smith near the top of the key. He drove to the right and then switched hands, making a tough shot while being tightly defended by Channing Frye. Greens 3-pointer at the buzzer from in front of the Detroit bench missed badly. "This is a great game for us, to be able to see how mentally strong we can be," Smith said. "Weve just got to be able to reflect on these games and apply it to the games that we have in front of us." Frye led Phoenix with 21 points. The Suns tied the game with a 13-3 run to start the fourth quarter, but Detroit responded with a 7-0 run. It was 105-97 before Phoenix scored eight straight points, tying it on a 3-pointer by P.J. Tucker with 51.2 seconds left. "We had one game this year where we came from 21 back, and we usually fight hard," Tucker said. The Pistons barely got a shot off on their next possession, but Smith was able to free himself on the left wing and connect from 3-point range. It was his first of two big shots at the end. "Those were two tough shots that Josh made," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We let him get to the basket at the end, but he was going in the wrong direction and still knoocked that down.dddddddddddd Before that, we play great defence, they lose the ball and they manage to bat it out to him and he hits the 3. Thats just a bad break for us." Jennings equaled team records held by Isiah Thomas with 11 assists in the first quarter and 16 in the first half. But Jennings didnt have any points, rebounds or assists in the fourth quarter. Backup Will Bynum picked up the slack a bit, scoring eight of his 16 points in the final period. "Sometimes in those fourth quarters Brandon was alone out there as far as creating and thats kind of tough on him," Bynum said. "So when were out there we help him out a lot and that spreads the court out." Detroit has been a disappointment after signing Smith and trading for Jennings in the off-season, but those two looked sharp for most of the night Saturday. In the first quarter, the Pistons looked as smooth and cohesive as they have all season, repeatedly beating the transition-oriented Suns down the court for easy baskets. Jennings tossed an alley-oop off the backboard to Andre Drummond for a 12-3 lead, and later in the quarter his alley-oop to Smith gave him 10 assists. Jennings then found Kyle Singler for a dunk that made it 35-19. The Pistons finished the quarter with 16 assists on 17 field goals -- and a 35-21 lead. Even when Jennings shot an airball at the end of the second quarter Drummond was there to tip it in at the buzzer for a 64-51 lead. Detroit had 50 points in the paint in the first half. The Pistons finished with 68. The last player with 16 assists in a half was Jason Kidd, who did it April 5, 2009, for Dallas, according to STATS. That was also against Phoenix. The last player with at least 11 assists in a quarter was Steve Blake, who had 14 for Portland in 2009. Phoenix was without guard Eric Bledsoe, who had surgery Friday on his right knee. NOTES: Thomas had 16 assists in a half against Dallas on Feb. 13, 1985. He tied the team record with 25 assists in that game. He twice reached 11 assists in a quarter. ... Ty Lawson, Kendall Marshall and Chris Paul (twice) have all had 17-assist games this season. Jennings surpassed that before the end of the third quarter. ' ' '