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NEW YORK -- Long before they were honored for guiding teams with depleted rosters to first-place finishes, Dave Roberts and Terry Francona were forever linked.Fans in Boston and beyond will always remember that signature stolen base.It was Roberts daring swipe as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the ninth inning that helped the Red Sox -- managed by Francona -- rally from the brink of being swept in the 2004 AL Championship Series and sped them toward ending their 86-year World Series curse.Francona went on to win two titles with Boston, and on Tuesday he earned his second AL Manager of the Year award with Cleveland.But what if Roberts had been thrown out, could that have altered a path that might someday land Francona in the Hall of Fame?The truth of it is, it probably wouldve been completely different, Francona said on a conference call.Theres always a Dave Roberts-being-out from being the other way, he said.The 44-year-old Roberts won the NL Manager of the Year honor in his first season as a skipper, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the NL West crown.Roberts and Francona each won handily. The voting figures to be much closer Wednesday for the Cy Young awards.Bostons Rick Porcello (majors-leading 22 wins), Detroits Justin Verlander (league-high 254 strikeouts, best wins above replacement for pitchers by baseballreference.com) and Clevelands Corey Kluber (second among pitchers in WAR) are up for the AL prize.Chicago Cubs teammates Kyle Hendricks (majors-best 2.13 ERA, 16-8) and Jon Lester (2.44, 19-5) and Washingtons Max Scherzer (20-7, majors-most 284 strikeouts) are competing for the NL honor.Roberts didnt bat in the 2004 postseason and didnt even play in the World Series sweep over St. Louis. But to just play a small part in his only season in Boston was rewarding, and he still retains lessons taught by Francona.Being unselfish and playing for the right reasons ... the game honors you, he said.Known for that one slide into second base, Roberts certainly had to scramble this season.The Dodgers put 28 different players on the disabled list, more than any team in the last 30 years. An injury to ace Clayton Kershaw was among the reasons they employed a franchise record-tying 55 players, including 31 pitchers.Among the Dodgers who managed to stay healthy: shortstop Corey Seager, chosen NL Rookie of the Year on Monday.Roberts said he was particularly proud of the way our guys battled adversity all year.Roberts made a record 606 pitching changes while going 91-71. Twice, he pulled pitchers in the late innings when they were throwing no-hitters, trying to protect their arms from overuse.In the postseason, Roberts took a creative approach to his bullpen. He used Kershaw against Washington in the deciding Game 5 of the Division Series, then brought in closer Kenley Jansen early while taking a 2-1 lead over the Cubs in the NLCS.Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America voted at the end of the regular season.Roberts got 16 first-place votes to top Joe Maddon, whose Cubs won the World Series. Maddon, who earned the award last year, was picked first on eight ballots.Washingtons Dusty Baker was third and got four firsts. Terry Collins of the New York Mets had the other two firsts.Roberts was the lone NL manager chosen on every ballot. This marked the third straight year a first-time manager has been honored, following Texas Jeff Banister and Washingtons Matt Williams.The 57-year-old Francona guided the Indians to the AL Central title at 94-67. They overtook the defending champion Royals and high-spending Tigers despite losing starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco, All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley and catcher Yan Gomes to injuries and outfielders Marlon Byrd and Abraham Almonte to drug suspensions.Cleveland came close to winning its first World Series title since 1948, but the Cubs rallied from a 3-1 deficit.It was an unbelievably satisfying year, Francona said.Its already been a busy offseason for him, too. The Indians picked up options for his contract in 2019 and 2020, then he had a right hip replacement operation.Francona drew 22 first-place votes and was the only manager chosen on all 30 ballots.Banister was second and got four firsts. Baltimores Buck Showalter, who was third, and Bostons John Farrell both drew a pair of firsts. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Cheap Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. http://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.com/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Curt Schilling Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Cheap Randy Johnson Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. If retired WWE superstar Adam Edge Copeland has one piece of advice for Sasha Banks and Charlotte heading into Sundays Raw championship match inside Hell in a Cell -- the first of its kind for women -- it would be to focus exclusively on writing their own story.Hell in a Cell is definitely more dangerous than your average match, Copeland told ESPN.com. I would tell them not to live up to anything else and set their own template of what the match is. They have a rare opportunity to be the first doing something. Its actually easier because the canvas is blank.Copeland took part in one of Hell in a Cells most memorable matches against The Undertaker at SummerSlam in 2008 and knows the violence associated with the match all too well. But both Banks and Charlotte are more than excited to simply be in this position, as part of a triple main event at Sundays pay-per-view in Banks hometown of Boston.The Raw-exclusive Hell in a Cell card will also feature cage matches involving Universal champion Kevin Owens against Seth Rollins and United States champion Roman Reigns defending his title against Rusev.Im honored, to be honest, said Charlotte, during Wednesdays appearance on Off the Top Rope with Jonathan Coachman. Just even being considered one of the main events in one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, it just says that the women are taking over.There is some confusion as to whether their match will end up going last Sunday, which would make it the first womens match to headline a pay-per-view in company history. WWE hasnt publicly decided as of yet and typically doesnt announce its match order ahead of time (although a confusing Facebook post from Raw general manager Mick Foley hasnt helped matters).But the concept of the match itself is just another step forward in WWEs commitment toward changing the perception and importance associated with its womens division.Of course its every performers dream to be the main event and I think this match is big enough and special enough because its a first-time ever, Banks told ESPN.com. That right there, thats history. You cant take that away from us. But whether we are the first or the middle, we are going to steal the show like we always do.The rivalry between Banks and Charlotte has become a special one, not just for the new standard it has set within the company for women, but for its status as arguably the hottest feud right now in WWE overall.Banks captured the title from Charlotte twice in recent months on Raw in a pair of spectacular matches featuring high-risk spots and pay-per-view intensity. In between, the two met at SummerSlam in August in their most wild meeting to date, in which Charlotte regained the belt and Banks appeared to injure herself attempting a series of high-flying moves.But Banks was quick to counter anyone who believes that she has become injury-prone, or attempt to use that belief as a basis to suggest that she and Charlotte have tried too hard to prove their equality to men by pushing the envelope.I mean, I think I just did my job right there because you guys dont know if I was truly hurt or not [at SummerSlam], Banks said. Internet reports want to say that I hurt my back but, I mean, coming back after two weeks? I dont know dude.Still, a match as violent and dangerous as Hell in a Cell has brought concern from those who arent ready to accept the idea of women taking part. Its a theme in which WWE itself played upon in Mondays go-home episode of Raw, with the hard-core veteran Foley preaching his concern for their well-being during an emotional storyline speech.Banks acknowledged the danger of the match, admitting her real-life preparation has been much more mental than physical. But she offered a response to anyone caught up in negativity.Its just us pushing the buttons and pushing the boundaries and showing that women can do anything that the men do, Banks said. They should get used to it. This is just the start and its going to keep happening for many years. We are going to keep on breaking down the doors. Just get used to it, thats all I have to say.Both Banks and Charlotte have spent a ton of time in recent weeks watching classic Hell in a Cell matches on the WWE Network as preparation. Banks has also received advice -- albeit unsolicited -- from a number of past participants, including Chris Jericho and Foley, but expects to be just fine once her adrenaline kicks in.Mick is trying to scare me with his [stories], Banks said. He has had many of these matches so I try to stay away from him because I dont want to be scared. He was like, Make sure you be careful because this happened to me. Yeah, I have the WWE Network, I know what happened to you, dude.I just feel like its something where I have to follow my heart once that cell door closes, Banks said. I know people can give you so much advice but I know that once Im in it, that ring is my home.The best advice Banks has received of late has come from WWE veteran and NXT general manager William Regal, who has reinforced the notion that, The only thing you can do is just do you. Dont try to be anybody else and dont try to outdo this or outdo that. You can only do what you do best in the ring.Its something Banks has taken to heart, and she admits has helped take off the pressure that comes with having her career take off and escalate to new levels so quickly. It has also helped her fight off the temptation of trying to do too much when it comes to planning Sundays match.For me, I have a crazy mind for wrestling and sometimes I have to calm myself down when I come up with ideas and be like, Hey, is that possible? Banks said. But for me, its really sitting back and knowing if I am capable of it. IIf I can see it in my mind, if I dream about it, I know its supposed to be.ddddddddddddBanks and Charlotte are just weeks removed from becoming the first women to wrestle in the main event of Raw in 12 years and they share a common goal of one day main-eventing WrestleMania. Its an idea that was given much more credence in April when their triple threat match with Becky Lynch arguably stole the show at WrestleMania 32.Banks also considers it more than just a coincidence that the first WrestleMania each of them attended in person, back when Banks was just 16 and hadnt yet met Charlotte, was in Orlando in 2008 (which doubles as the host of next years event). WrestleMania XX IV featured the last WWE match for Charlottes father, two-time Hall of Famer Ric Flair.It was so crazy to know that Charlotte was backstage at the same time and now we are here together wrestling, Banks said. How weird is that? I think its just something in the air that everything has happened for a reason.There has been a special form of chemistry between Banks and Charlotte from the very first day they practiced together inside an NXT ring and locked up. Charlotte recalls their coach, Sara Del Ray, interrupting the workout after they made contact for the first time to point it out.I dont know how often someone with that kind of chemistry that the two of us have comes around but it just makes a heck of a feud and rivalry, Charlotte said. Its because we both want to be the best. Its our competitive nature. I think when we are in there you can feel that alpha in both of us coming out. When you have two performers who just want to outdo the other performers and they work collectively together like Sasha and I do, it creates magic.Banks agrees, saying the reason their rivalry works so well is that both are trying to prove to the world which one is the better superstar.In her heart she thinks she is and in my heart I know I am, Banks said. I think thats what makes it fun when you see us wrestle in the ring.As much as they are trying to outshine each other, Banks and Charlotte will also be working together Sunday, not just to add another chapter in the legend of their burgeoning rivalry, but to further push the boundaries of what is possible for women in WWE.We are showing the world that women can do it just like the guys. Its no more barriers, Banks said. We have proven that we can do it. Dont put us into this little box. Take us out of the box and we can be inside this cell.Its going to be really special. Im legit real nervous and excited. Im just trying to pray [we] come out alive and healthy.Heres what to watch for on the remainder of Sundays card:WWE Universal championship: Kevin Owens (c) versus Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell match): It was good to see the focus return to the two combatants involved in this rivalry on Mondays Raw, with Owens escalating matters by powerbombing Rollins onto the ring apron after their triple threat match with Chris Jericho. It will be interesting to see not only whose hands the belt ends up in following this match, but what role that Jericho plays after teasing for weeks a possible rift in his on-screen friendship with Owens. Either way, this one has the most potential of the three matches to provide the high spots and crazy moments typically associated with HIAC.United States championship: Roman Reigns (c) versus Rusev: Dont let the increased focus on comedy in this feud during the past few weeks overshadow the potential for carnage and physicality between these two inside the cage. This match, their third straight meeting on pay-per-view since their feud began in August, has the potential to be the best of the group. If it ends up providing closure to their rivalry and Reigns immediate future involves a return to the main event level, seeing Rusev regain his title would seem like the obvious move.WWE cruiserweight championship: TJ Perkins (c) versus Brian Kendrick: Kendricks comeback story at the age of 37 has been fun to watch and has been worked nicely into the storyline. His character has shown an incredible amount of desperation in recent weeks, meaning it wouldnt be surprising if he went over Perkins -- in a despicable manner, of course -- to win the title. In a short time, Kendrick has established himself as arguably the backbone of the division and has played the perfect heel foil opposite the fresh-faced Perkins.Raw tag team championship: The New Day (c) versus Cesaro/Sheamus: It would have to be considered a major surprise should The New Day give up the belts here, considering how close they are to breaking Demolitions record (478 days) for the longest tag team reign in WWE history. But then again, thats what makes surprise turns so special. The jury is still out as to whether Cesaro and Sheamus have real chemistry together and can consistently entertain on this level as a duo. This is the perfect platform to find out.Enzo Amore/Big Cass versus Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson: It would seem there isnt much at stake in this one outside of the growing beef between the two teams. But it could prove to be more than a stay-busy feud after all. If The New Day retains their titles, and hold them long enough to break Demolitions mark in December, the winner of this match would seem the strongest choice to take the belts shortly after.Bayley versus Dana Brooke: Fans of arm wrestling were in for a treat on Raw this week in the latest chapter of this feud. In all seriousness, Brooke has done a decent job playing the heel while keeping Bayley busy for an eventual run opposite Charlotte or Banks. ' ' '