Were going to ride with them in those situations

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TAMPA, Fla. - Carlos Beltran is excited to play alongside Derek Jeter on the New York Yankees. "I know he has a lot of championships, but I have none," Beltran said. "Hopefully I can win one." Now 36 and still in search of his first World Series title, Beltran left the St. Louis Cardinals for a $45 million, three-year deal with the Yankees, his sixth major league team in 17 seasons. Beltran hit .296 last season with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs, reaching the World Series for the first time. Now hes on a team that expects to be in the World Series every year. "Of course we have to win," the eight-time All-Star outfielder said Monday after his first workout at the teams minor league complex. "I dont know how far we will go, but at least we have to do something positive, and better than what they did last year, no doubt about that." After missing the playoffs for just the second time in 19 years, New York embarked on a spending spree of nearly half-a-billion dollars, adding four marquee free agents in Beltran, Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury. "They went out and spent a lot money on players to try to improve the ballclub," Beltran said. "You want to be around an organization like that, where every year theyre trying to improve, theyre trying to get better." Second baseman Robinson Cano — the Yankees top hitter — did leave for a $240 million, 10-year deal with Seattle, while Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte both retired. "I think we have a real good team," Beltran said. "I believe the lineup that we have, we have a pretty good lineup." Beltran joined Brian Roberts, Kelly Johnson and Eduardo Nunez three days before the first full-squad workout. After batting practice, instead of taking fly balls, Beltran fielded grounders at second with Roberts, signed as Canos replacement. "Im just trying to get to know the guys," Beltran said. "I was talking to Roberts a little bit there. Hes a switch-hitter. Im a switch-hitter. So, we were talking about, maybe, working together a little bit this year." Beltran did not get a chance to work out with Jeter, who announced last week that he will retire after the 2014 season. The Yankees captain, who has been practicing at the minor league complex for past four weeks, usually takes a few days off before formal workouts begin. "For me, hes been a big part of baseball," Beltran said. "I feel personally, he got enough of baseball. Hes been doing this so long, and doing it the right way. Hes a pro on, off the field. Its sad for baseball, youre going to lose a guy like that, but at the same time theres a lot of younger guys coming up that, hopefully, they could take his spot." "Being able to play with a guy that is a Hall of Famer, first-ballot Hall of Famer, is a great feeling," Beltran added. "Im just looking forward to playing with him, looking forward to hopefully have this team win a championship." NOTES: Manager Joe Girardi wouldnt go into detail on any problem the Yankees had with Canos lack of hustle at times. Hitting coach Kevin Long was quoted in Mondays editions of the New York Daily News as saying "If somebody told me I was a dog, Id have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and thats your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to." Girardi pulled Cano from a game against Tampa Bay in September 2008 when he was late retrieving Cliff Floyds hard grounder that caromed into shallow right field, then benched the second baseman the following night. "I have discussions with all of our players on how we expect them to play the game," Girardi said. ... Girardi also said RHP Michael Pineda, sidelined since shoulder surgery two years ago, looked good in his bullpen session Monday. Pineda is among the candidates for the No. 5 starter. ... RHP Yoshinori Tateyama, his arrival delayed by a visa issue, began workouts after missing two days. cheap jerseys from china . First reported by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal, its unknown if the impetus for the deferral proposal came from players or management, but it never left the preliminary stages. cheap nfl jerseys china . Garza, who signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Milwaukee in the off-season, retired the Cubs in order in four of the first six innings. http://www.cheapjerseyschina.cc/. -- Connor Brown had two goals and an assist as the Erie Otters edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. cheap jerseys . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of waving his hand at an official after being called for a foul - Lowry pulled the Raptors sophomore aside, corralling him by his jersey and patting him on the back. cheap nfl jerseys . The reported price for the Jays was Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. Would you make that deal? The Blue Jays are in first place in the AL East.BROOKLYN - As the Raptors opening round series shifts back into quasi must-win territory on Sunday, their playoff lives could rest on the shoulders of a 23-year-old sophomore, who is already having a tough time adjusting to the pressure of his first postseason. Through three games with the Nets, Toronto has yet to play its best basketball, the easiest explanation for their 2-1 series deficit. Its under-performing starting small forward, Terrence Ross, has been a primary factor. Stepping in for the traded Rudy Gay early in the season, Ross played an under-appreciated role in the Raptors turnaround and push to the playoffs. From Dec. 8 onwards, the second-year guard-turned-forward averaged 12.2 points, nearly doubling his pre-trade scoring mark while logging an addition 10 minutes a night. He shot the three-ball at an impressive 40 per cent clip and became Torontos most relied upon perimeter defender. Since making his playoff debut a week ago, Ross has looked like a fish out of water. Despite starting all three games and playing an average of 21 minutes, hes hit just three of his 16 jumpers while looking overwhelmed on defence against Brooklyns bigger, more physical wing players. Overall, the Raptors have gotten just 4.7 points per game from the small forward position, good for last among the NBAs 16 playoff teams by a wide margin. With Fridays 102-98 loss in the back of his mind, Dwane Casey wouldnt rule out the possibility of a lineup change for Sundays crucial Game 4. "Were still going to look at that," Casey said following a Saturday afternoon practice on the campus of a nearby university in New York City. "The decision hasnt been made but we will look at it. Right now we dont want to do anything drastic." "Its not panic time, but we do have to look at that position and get more productivity out of that spot." Its been the most problematic conundrum Casey has had to wrestle with in this series. The Raptors do not have an easy answer for Joe Johnsons unique combination of size, strength and finesse. The Nets crafty veteran - listed at 6-foot-7, 240 lbs - has had Torontos number in nearly every facet of the game. He can beat you from midrange, post-up smaller players and hes deadly from beyond the arc. "We have been double teaming him and blitzing him and hes been getting a lot of his [points] in those one-on-one situations," Casey pointed out. Defensively, Landry Fields has had the most individual success against Johnson. Casey turned to the sparingly used forward in Game 2, a well-received lineup adjustment that helped neutralize Johnson in the fourth quarter and spark Torontos comeback victory. Johnson would go on to lead the Nets with 29 points in Fridays Game 3 but was held scoreless, missing both of his shots, in seven first-half minutes with Fields guarding him. However, Fields was limited to just eight minutes in the loss. This time the Nets had prepared for him. Anticipating his reluctance to shoot, Brooklyn used Fields defender to apply even more pressure to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. With Jonas Valanciunas in foul trouble, Fields shared the floor with Tyler Hansbrough - another player the defence can afford to overlook - and the Raptors offencce took an immediate hit.dddddddddddd "Its give and take," Casey said in regards to utilizing Fields in this series. "You sacrifice some offence for defence. I thought he did a heck of a job [defensively] but you do suffer in your spacing." John Salmons returned to the rotation, scoring four points in 12 minutes on Friday after sitting out in Game 2. The 35-year-old has battled lingering back pain while struggling with his jumper. He too has been exposed by Johnson. "Weve got to find ways to get them the ball," Casey said of Fields and Salmons. "Whether its cutting, screening, running the floor, so that we get something from that spot [and] they cant just load up and go 5-on-4 at the defensive end. We want to make sure we do get something offensively out of that position." Their best chance is to get Ross going. Fields moves well without the ball and gives you consistent effort on defence, Salmons brings a certain veteran savvy that has been useful in the past but Ross - when right - is the two-way contributor Toronto desperately needs to gain the upper hand in this series. For the young Ross, boosting his confidence could be the key to unleashing the natural ability he has displayed throughout his second season. It could be something as simple as seeing an early shot fall, getting a big first-quarter stop or throwing down one of his trademark slam dunks. "Hes still the same Terrence," DeRozan said Saturday. "We all understand everybodys not going to have their best night [all the time]. We all understand that. Our job is to keep everybodys confidence high." Through three playoff games, Ross and fellow sophomore Jonas Valanciunas - who leads the Raptors in turnovers - have the worst +/- on the team. Toronto has allowed 24 more points than its scored with Ross on the floor, outscored by 21 with Valanciunas on the floor. The Raptors are the only playoff team to feature two second-year players in their starting lineup. Their inexperience and overall importance to the future of this franchise is largely responsible for the leash theyve been given. "If they werent young guys, if that wasnt our future, our direction, they probably wouldnt be in there with some of the mistakes theyre making," Casey admitted. "But, theyre our guys. Theyve got to learn, its their first playoffs. I expect most of their mistakes. Were going to ride with them in those situations." "Its tougher, but a big part of the reason were here is because of their play. Im not blind to the fact they are our future and the only way were going to learn is to go through it. The amount of time might be a little shorter, but theyve got to get out there." Regardless of his role, Ross will continue to play. Yes, win or lose this is a valuable learning experience for the 23-year-old but more than anything else, Casey knows how quickly the complexion of this series could change if Ross shots begin to fall. For Ross, the player, that would mean more confidence and likely a more engaged defensive effort, even if he cant guard Johnson one-on-one. For the team it could aid their spacing, take the pressure off Lowry and DeRozan and breathe life into their suffocating offence. ' ' '