nt. But a 35-30 loss to Saskatchewan on Aug. 31 started Winnipegs tailspin

CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Manny Ramirez on Friday for his work with the Cubs minor leaguers in Arizona, and said the former major league star could join Triple-A Iowa next week. Ramirez signed a minor league deal in May and reported to the teams facility in Mesa to get some at-bats in extended spring training. When Ramirez moves to Iowa, he will be a player-coach for Chicagos top farm club. "Ive gotten unsolicited emails and texts from a lot of the staff down there saying that hes been a breath of fresh air and the best thing that ever happened to the kids down in Mesa," Epstein said before the Cubs 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "So Im really pleased with the impact hes making on the organization. "Probably sometime next week that hes ready to go to Iowa, but were not in a rush because hes making an impact with the young kids down there who are getting their first taste of pro ball as well as guys like Jorge Soler, who are there rehabbing. Mannys been a really nice influence so far." The 42-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. But the Cubs brought him in to serve as a mentor for some of their young players and insist he is not a candidate for a promotion to the major league club. The addition of Ramirez was a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who was the general manager in Boston when the enigmatic slugger helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and 2007. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. He also has been criticized in the past for lackadaisical play, but Epstein thinks he can be a valuable teacher for Chicagos rich minor league system. "Hes been meeting with the young kids there daily, pulling them aside, talking about hitting, talking about not making some of the same mistakes that he made off the field, really keeping them focused on working hard and having a passion for the game and doing things the right way," Epstein said. When Ramirez gets to Iowa, he will get a chance to work one of the majors best prospects in third baseman Kris Bryant. The No. 2 overall selection in last years draft hit .355 with 20 homers in 68 games with Double-A Tennessee, and then belted a two-run shot in his debut with Iowa on Thursday night. The promotion to Triple-A means Bryant is just one step away from joining the Cubs, but Epstein made it sound as if that would be next season at the earliest. "I dont forsee a scenario where hed be up this year," he said. "I dont think its the right thing to do for someone in his first full professional season, barring extraordinary circumstances both in respect to the player and whats going on at the big league club." Epstein also is pleased with what he has seen so far from this years first-round pick, Kyle Schwarber. The No. 4 overall selection from Indiana University was quickly promoted from Chicagos short-season Class A affiliate in Boise, Idaho, to Single-A Kane County. There is some question about whether Schwarber will play catcher or left field in the pros, but it looks as if that decision can wait for now. "We decided this year, his first exposure to pro ball, were going to have him see a lot of time in left field, let him catch about once a week, maybe twice a week, so he can stay fresh with his catching, DH some so that he can keep his bat in the lineup when he needs a day off," Epstein said. "Then were going to sit down at the end of the minor league season and see whether its an appropriate time to make a call." Willy Adames Rays Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Don Zimmer Jersey . Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/716i-travis-darnaud-jersey-rays.html . Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, Nowitzki was another of seven Dallas players in double figures with 11 points and the Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-104 Tuesday night. Jose Alvarado Jersey . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. Cole Sulser Rays Jersey . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute.WINNIPEG - With their season hanging by a thread, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers can at least look forward to the return of their regular starting quarterback on Saturday.Drew Willy looked good in practice Tuesday after missing last weeks game due to injuries.More than that, I liked what he said, coach Mike OShea said after practice. He said hell be fine.The Blue Bombers (6-10) will try to end a seven-game losing skid on Saturday against the B.C. Lions (8-7). Winnipeg will be eliminated from playoff contention with another defeat as the Lions are four points ahead in the race for the crossover spot in the CFL West.Even if Winnipeg wins, the Blue Bombers would need a lot of help for a playoff spot to be possible. They would also need to beat the CFL-leading Calgary Stampeders and hope for a combination of B.C. and Toronto losses.The Lions would need to lose their final two and the Argonauts (6-9) would have to lose two of their final three.But first, the Bombers have to win, something they havent managed to do since Aug. 22.We know weve got a good B.C. team coming in here, Willy said after practice Tuesday. Their defence has been playing really well lately. Theyre not giving up touchdowns.And the Bombers havent been scoring them.Weve got to work extremely hard this week in the red zone to be efficient, he said. Weve been struggling in the red zone for sure at this part of the season so weve got to make sure were executing at all phases.Willy added he would be good to go unless I wake up so sore tomorrow that I can hardly grip the ball.His most nagging injury has been to his throwing hand.Its been a seeason of highs and lows for Willy in his rookie year as a starting CFL quarterback.ddddddddddddHe was signed away from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he was the No. 1 backup.His personal numbers have looked good and he led the team to a great start before their victory drought. Willy has battled with Toronto veteran Ricky Ray for the lead in passing yards for much of the season.The Blue Bombers, who were 3-15 last year, looked to be a much-improved team at the seasons midway point. But a 35-30 loss to Saskatchewan on Aug. 31 started Winnipegs tailspin and the team has been unable to recover.Making things worse was the move to the much stronger West Division with the Ottawa Redblacks arrival in the East this season.Winnipeg won five of its first six, the only loss a rather humbling 26-3 debacle at the hands of the Edmonton Eskimos that was an early warning sign of the trouble ahead.Most of those early wins were against weak East teams and some games were very close. The backbreaker for the Bombers was probably a 42-20 road loss to the lowly Redblacks earlier this month — it was Ottawas second win this season.There were signs of life in the Bombers last game against the Stampeders but Winnipeg still dropped a 33-23 decision.Veteran offensive lineman Glenn January could come off the injured list Saturday. The Blue Bombers have gone with Paris Cotton as the starting running back after the release of Nic Grigsby.Grigsby was the teams leading rusher this season but asked for his release last week after being told he would be a backup. He later signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. ' ' '