Dein erstes Forum » .The last active WTA player not name

DENVER -- As a longtime shortstop, Ian Desmond knows all too well the value of a good first baseman.Hes vowing to be that reliable as the Colorado Rockies convert him to a position hes never played. He doesnt even have a first basemans glove of his own yet, borrowing one from a buddy until his arrives in the mail.Although the Rockies solution at first base seems out of left field -- Desmond did play 29 games in left for Texas last season -- its really not that farfetched. Or so the Rockies are banking on, finalizing a $70 million, five-year contract Tuesday with the two-time All-Star whos gone from shortstop to outfielder and now back to the infield.I have all the faith in the world that Ians going to be a good first baseman, Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said.The 31-year-old Desmond will take over for Mark Reynolds, whos now a free agent. And while Desmond cant recall ever playing the position, even as a kid, he did prove to be a fast learner last season when he moved from shortstop to the outfield for the Rangers.I know what it takes to be prepared every day and thats what Im going to do, said Desmond, who had his wife and young kids sitting in the front row for his introductory news conference.Desmond played at an All-Star level for the Rangers in 2016, hitting .285 with 22 homers and 86 RBI as he split time between left and center.Before that, he was a shortstop for the Washington Nationals.The Rockies gave him a lucrative deal to learn a new skill set at Coors Field, where hes a .379 career hitter in 23 games.Yes, the ball does fly here. Yes, it is a good place to hit, Desmond said. For me, personally, the reason I play well here is because I like coming here. I enjoy coming to Colorado. I enjoy the people in the city. Im from small town in Florida, where when you put the blinker on to change lanes, the people behind you wave. Thats very common here.Desmond will get salaries of $8 million next year, $22 million in 2018, $15 million apiece in 2019 and 2020, and $8 million in 2021. Colorado has a $15 million option for 2022 with a $2 million buyout.He would get a $1 million assignment bonus if traded, and if traded he could not be dealt additional times without his consent.To hone his fielding skills, Desmond borrowed one of the gloves of Correlle Prime, who just so happens to be a first baseman in the Rockies system. Years ago, Desmond took Prime under his wing when Prime worked out at the same hitting facility in the Sarasota, Florida, area.Little did the friends realize one day they would be in the same organization -- playing the same position.Its bittersweet for me, Desmond said. Trying to get this young man prepared for the big leagues and hes a first baseman and Im proud of how far hes come and the progress hes made. Now, I come in and play first base. Were talking and its like, I would rather it be me than anybody else.Now I get to go to spring training with him. Now he gets to watch me work during the season. I get to see what he does firsthand and see if theres anything I can help him with. Just be there to support him.One things for sure: Desmond has a talented infield to work with in third baseman and perennial Gold Glover Nolan Arenado, shortstop Trevor Story and second baseman DJ LeMahieu.Desmond certainly wont force his way into a leadership dynamic, either. Not his style. Hes more of a quiet leader.You cant come here and expect to be the man, Desmond said. Im going to come in with a lot of respect for those guys, just get in where I fit in.Hes not sure where he might bat in a potent lineup that also features outfielders Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra. Hes on board with wherever first-year Colorado manager Bud Black pencils him in.Im going to work as hard as I can right now to be the best first baseman I can be, Desmond said. Ill keep the other tools fresh also, just to try to be as much of a help as I can.I think about the opportunity here and I think about how much of a sports town this is, how deserving these fans are. That is what brought me here. First base just happened to be the position I was able to fill. Its not about the ball flying (at Coors Field) -- this is about the opportunity to bring winning back here. MLB Jerseys From China . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Wholesale China Jerseys . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. http://www.wholesalemlbauthenticjerseys.com/ . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Cheap World Baseball Classic Jerseys .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Cheap MLB Jerseys 2018 . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Angelique Kerbers 2015 appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore was, at the time, not at all memorable.But her 6-4, 6-3 loss against Lucie Safarova might now be remembered as the catalyst for Kerbers massive makeover in 2016.After winning her first Grand Slam singles title in January at the Australian Open and adding a second at the US Open, the world No. 1 will try to punctuate her next-level season with another crown when she returns to Singapore next week (coverage begins Sunday on ESPN3).It would be pretty special to go back to where she found the inspiration to make the change and win it, said ESPN analyst Pam Shriver. Shed be the runaway player of the year, and that would be a Serena-like year.Kerbers year-end history in Singapore far from stellar (she has won two of nine matches in three previous appearances), and winning a single set in that final round-robin match against Safarova would have sent her into the semifinals. But Kerber predictably tightened up (a once-haunting hallmark since her WTA debut in 2003) and the opportunity evaporated. She was furious. This led to some serious soul-searching, which, 10 weeks later, yielded the surprising result in Melbourne.Kerber, always a tenacious and talented defender, had an epiphany similar to Andy Murray, who, under coach Ivan Lendl, overcame the habit of centering the ball when under duress. Kerber, working with her longtime coach Torben Beltz, has summoned the confidence to be more aggressive when the stakes are highest.I learned a lot of things the last year, Kerber acknowledged before the US Open. I had to win one set and I [put] completely too much pressure on myself. Thats why I will not [be] thinking too much. I am here playing tennis. Is what I love to do.She ran the table at the Australian Open, surviving a match point in the first round and stunning Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals and Serena Williams in the final. Kerber is the favorite in Singapore and will retain the No. 1 ranking no matter what happens since Williams (shoulder injury) pulled out of the event earlier this week.Hoisting that first Grand Slam trophy, though, proved to be a shock to Kerbers system. What happens when your dream comes true? When, after years of sacrifice and relentless effort, you achieve the hiighest honor in your profession? It took a while to process.ddddddddddddAfter the Aussie Open win, Kerber lost in the first round at Doha and Indian Wells. After winning Stuttgart at home in Germany in April, she lost her first matches outdoors on clay, in Madrid and Rome. In her first Slam after Australia, nursing a shoulder injury, she suffered a surprising first-round loss against Kiki Bertens at the French Open. She was asked after that loss if she thought the pressure of trying to follow up on her first major title was getting to her.I came here to play round by round, and I know that you must play your best tennis in the first rounds, as well, because everybody is a tough opponent to play, Kerber said. I was trying it. That was for sure not my best tennis I played today.She dramatically turned things around over the summer. Kerber beat No. 5-ranked Simona Halep (quarterfinals) and No. 8 Venus Williams (semifinals) before losing to Serena in the Wimbledon final. But Kerber continued her momentum, reaching the semifinals at Montreal, the gold-medal match at the Rio Olympics and the final in Cincinnati, where she lost against Karolina Pliskova. Kerber avenged that defeat in her rousing three-set victory in the US Open final.If those bookend major titles looked and felt like something a little different, they were.The last active WTA player not named Serena to win two majors in the same year? It was Venus, 15 years ago, taking Wimbledon and the US Open. Serena has won at least two Grand Slam singles titles in the same year an astonishing seven times, (2002, 03, 09, 10, 12, 13 and 15).Thats the kind of exalted company Kerber now finds herself keeping.A year ago, it was her loss in Singapore that kick-started Kerbers superb breakthrough season. If she can once again push herself into uncharted territory with a few round-robin wins, it would put her in a commanding position going into 2017.To go into the season-ending championship as the favorite and the No. 1 player, thats unreal, ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez said. Two Slams, a silver medal [at the Rio Olympics] and then a title [in Singapore] -- that would be icing on the cake. ' ' '