Dein erstes Forum » a catcher making his first professional ap

Tim Leiweke has regrets.Jermain Defoe got homesick after less than a year in North America and wanted out. Toronto FC failed to make the MLS playoffs as promised. Good people lost their jobs.That was not part of the plan for the big-thinking president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.It meant, after some heavy lifting behind the scenes in the wake of Defoe, Leiweke has had to orchestrate yet another reboot of the MLS franchise.Were trying to get it right and were not done, he told The Canadian Press on Friday after Jozy Altidore was unveiled at the Air Canada Centre. I believe in the next week or two, people will feel very very good about what our ownership has committed to here. Its pretty remarkable.Defoe, and the gymnastics Toronto had to do to get him here, are behind him. The 32-year-old striker is back in England with Sunderland.In his place is Altidore, a 25-year-old American striker looking to reclaim his glory after a bleak stint in England.Altidore is seen as major boost if for nothing else that he wants to be here — and is being paid a lot to do so.We ended up with a guy who wants to be here and a guy whos very predictable, said Leiweke, essentially summing up the Defoe issue.Toronto has more moves to make, with possibly more big news to come in the form of a Grade-A attacking midfielder. But a lesson has been learned. Any new marquee addition will be a young talent committed to the cause.Leiweke sees that in star midfielder Michael Bradley and Altidore.In a franchise devoid of consistency, Leiweke says he sees some light at the end of the tunnel.We have a chance now to build around these two guys. Theyre young, theyre committed and they want to be here, he said. And they like each other, theyre best of friends. I think were in a fortunate position.Leiweke says Altidore wouldnt be a TFC player had it not been for Bradley. The 27-year-old Bradley is also helping recruit the desired attacking midfielder.Asked whether Bradley restructured his contract to help pave the way for Altidore, Leiweke said: I would say Michael went above and beyond the call of duty here.He is a remarkable young man and I am in awe of how he handled himself these last two weeks. He is a class act.Altidore has a five-year deal worth less than the reported US$30 million, according to the MLSE boss. That number, not only its not correct, its not close. Speaking diplomatically about his last big-ticket purchase, Leiweke said its good to get Jermain settled. Were happy for him back in the EPL (English Premier League), he said. Its what he wanted.We understood he was homesick and we dont fault him for that. I think the only thing was the dance played as to was he really happy or was he not happy and if he wasnt happy then lets figure it out.Still Leiweke is not about to throw Defoe under that double-decker bus. The English striker collected 11 goals in his first 13 MLS games and Toronto never lost a game when he scored.But injuries and a desire to be elsewhere took their toll.Look Jermain was what we thought — which is a difference-maker, said Leiweke. He was a guy that would be just a pure gifted natural goal-scorer. And he was. And Jermain, by the way, was a delightful guy to be around. ... I think the only issue was the communication.Leiweke is grateful to Defoe in that Sunderland was not his first choice. But the striker knew it was the deal that did the most for Toronto, because of Altidore.It was a good experiment. It didnt work out as well as we had hoped. We have nothing but good things and wishes for Jermain. And we move on. Defoe told a different story than his advisers apparently.It was always an awkward communication, Leiweke said. Because if you talked to Jermain, hed be like Well, Im OK either way. But if you talked to his agent and those around him, there was no doubt that somewhere in July he had a change of heart. And, as I said, I do not blame him.I think it worked out as well as it could.In fact, Leiweke is cheering Defoe on in Sunderland.The more goals, he scores, the better for us, he said.We get some upside in this deal, he added when asked what that meant. Youll see in the very near future some of the things we did as part of this deal.That explains why the Defoe-Altidore deal is being described as a swap with cash considerations. Leiweke credited MLS vice-president J. Todd Durbin for helping shepherd the deal.We had to use our allocation, he said. Other clubs had a shot at him (Altidore). Fridays news conference to introduce Altidore came the same day as the deadline for Toronto season ticket-holders to renew at the same price as last year.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Cheap Thunder Jerseys . Riethers apparent stamp on Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj during Saturdays Premier League match at Craven Cottage was missed by the match officials. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the incident and all agreed that it was a sending-off offence. Russell Westbrook Jersey . A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week. http://www.cheapthundersjerseys.com/ . -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. Dennis Schroder Jersey . The team made the announcement after Saturdays 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. RHP Kenny Giles will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Adams spot on the roster. Kevin Hervey Jersey . TSNs coverage of the Third Round gets underway Sunday with Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago at 3pm et/Noon pt. TSNs broadcast schedule for the Third Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs is as follows: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings• Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago – Sunday, May 18 at 3pm et/Noon pt• Game 2: Los Angeles at Chicago – Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm et/5pm pt• Game 4: Chicago at Los Angeles – Monday, May 26 at 9pm et/6pm pt Featured in the broadcast booth for TSN are play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Ray Ferraro, with Farhan Lalji contributing reports from rinkside.NEW YORK -- After a week of popups, the Baltimore Orioles showed off real pop. Delmon Young, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters homered as Baltimore teed off for 20 hits, battering the New York Yankees 14-5 Tuesday. "It was a lot of fun," reigning major league home run champion Chris Davis said. "It was a long game. It was long -- in a good way." After a 2-5 start in which they totalled just 22 runs, the Orioles broke loose. Young and Wieters each drove in three runs, and Jones delivered one of Baltimores four doubles at a half-empty Yankee Stadium. Everyone in Baltimores starting lineup got a hit and scored a run. The Orioles posted their second-highest hit total in the Bronx, eclipsed only by a 22-hit outburst in 1986. "Everybodys trying to find it right now," Davis said. "It felt good, as an offence, to score some runs." By the late innings, the game took on a spring training feel. The Yankees pulled several starters and the often-demanding crowd didnt even bother to boo while the Birds ran around the bases. There was a big cheer, however, when two fans sprinted onto the grass and were tackled in the outfield by a wave of security personnel. Jones said it was "stupid" for anyone to trespass on the field and said the punishment should be harsh. "They should let us have a shot to kick em with our metal spikes," the All-Star centre fielder said. Wei-Yin Chen (1-1) weathered five innings for the win, giving up four runs and nine hits. Ivan Nova (1-1) was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings. For all the big hits, it was a little grounder that helped things get out of hand at the start. After Nick Markakis led off the game with a single, Young followed with a bouncer up the middle. Many shortstops in the majors couldve turned it into a double play, but 39-year-old Derek Jeter couldnt quite get to it and the ball skipped under his glove for a single. "He dove. He did everything he could to make that play," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Daviis followed with a sacrifice fly, and Jones hit his first homer of the season for a 3-0 lead.ddddddddddddThe Orioles chased Nova with a three-run fourth that made it 7-1 and added four more in the sixth. Alfonso Soriano and Kelly Johnson hit solo home runs for the Yankees. Rookie Yangervis Solarte struck again, too, with a pair of doubles -- hes 11 for 24 overall. Solarte is the first player since 1900 with at least six doubles in the first seven games of his career, the Yankees said, citing the Elias Sports Bureau. Young was 1 for 6 this season before manager Buck Showalter gave him this start. The designated hitter had an RBI single in the fourth that finished Nova and added his first homer, a two-run drive in the sixth. Wieters connected in the eighth. Ryan Flaherty also had three hits for the Orioles after starting the year in a 1-for-21 rut. One of his hits was an early bunt single when Francisco Cervelli, a catcher making his first professional appearance at first base, ranged too far wide and in to field the ball. Steve Lombardozzi, Flaherty and Jonathan Schoop, the bottom three hitters in Baltimores lineup, started out 6 for 6. NOTES: Showalter said the Orioles will make a roster move Wednesday, but declined to provide details. The team could be calling up INF Jemile Weeks from Triple-A. ... Carlos Beltrans RBI double marked the first run permitted by Baltimore in the first inning this season. ... Nova had allowed four or fewer earned runs in 24 straight starts since September 2012. That was tied with Hiroki Kuroda for the longest such string by a Yankees pitcher since Ron Guidrys 27-game streak ended in 1982. ... With David Robertson on the disabled list, Girardi said RHP Shawn Kelley will likely be the closer. ... Orioles SS J.J. Hardy was out of the starting lineup for the third game in a row because of back spasms. ... Soriano hit his 407th home run. ... RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-0) starts the series finale Wednesday night in his Yankee Stadium debut vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez (0-1). ' ' '