MINNEAPOLIS - For more than two decades, Paul Molitor scratched and clawed his way to the Hall of Fame by turning every at-bat into a battle of wills. Cheap Air Max 270 Free Shipping .His competitiveness and instincts were rare traits that helped him speed through the minor leagues in just one year, pile up more than 3,300 hits and remain productive well after his 40th birthday.Now that he has taken over as manager of his hometown Minnesota Twins, one of Molitors big challenges will be finding a way to convey the characteristics that made him one of the games greatest hitters on to a new generation of players, the majority of whom will never approach his accomplished career.Thats something that we hear about, managers who were so-called successful players, that they dont have the patience to put up with players that cant seem to get it, Molitor said on Tuesday during his introductory press conference. They cant do what I did or they cant do it this way. After (16) years, Ive got a much better perspective and feel for that. I know, still, that the games hard.Molitor has been retired since 1998 and has spent the time since grinding away as a roving instructor in the Twins minor league system, one year as a hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners and last year as an assistant on Ron Gardenhires staff with the Twins.He is the 63rd Hall of Fame player to become a manager, according to STATS. Thirty-four of those finished their managing careers with losing records, including Ed Walsh and Honus Wagner, who managed a combined eight games.The decision to fill a managerial position with a Hall of Fame player is becoming increasingly rare. Molitor is just the fourth Hall of Famer in the last 25 years to get a managing job, joining Tony Perez (.468 career winning percentage), Frank Robinson (.475) and Ryne Sandberg (.456).I will never forget that the game is very, very difficult, Molitor said. And I dont expect players to do things exactly the way I did. Our coaches wont do the same. Were going to try to get these guys to improve. For me, frustration because guys dont get it? Tell them again. Help them again. Support them again. Encourage them again. Stay after it.He takes over for Gardenhire, a beloved figure in Twins lore who was fired after the fourth straight season of at least 92 losses.I watched him all year on the top step of the dugout, Twins owner Jim Pohlad said. I saw Paul the whole year and really just actively involved and just tense to the game, so that was really a positive to me. When we decided to make a change, Pauls name was definitely on the list and arguably at the forefront of the list.All-Star closer Glen Perkins has known Molitor for years and sees a difference in him compared to other Hall of Famers.He never was the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, any of those things, Perkins said. He got by and did a lot of little things. Those are things that make a good manager.Thats what you hear: utility players, catchers, those are the guys that make good managers because they had to do a lot of the little things just to stay there. Well he did all those little things to be a Hall of Famer.Molitor was up for consideration for this job the last time the Twins were hiring, but he pulled his name from consideration in 2001 in part because Major League Baseball was contemplating contracting two franchises. Those efforts failed and Gardenhire led the team to six division titles in his first nine seasons of a 13-year career.Now the Twins are looking for a similar revival, and Molitor made it clear that he doesnt plan on being a part of a long-term rebuilding project.Im coming here to win, Molitor said. I think that its very important to lay that out there right from the start. Things can change very dramatically at this level very quickly.Molitor has never been a manager at any level, and he goes into this job knowing that the instincts and knowledge that made him such a great player will only take him — and the Twins — so far.I know what I know, and I think a lot of it is really good things, Molitor said. But you have to know where you need help. I think assembling a staff is going to be important thats able to fill some of those gaps for me, at least in the interim as we go forward, will be very, very critical. Its something that we plan to get started on.___Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski href="http://www.discountairmax270.com/" target="_blank">Air Max 270 Cheap Online . The Raptors have been outscored 88-66 in the opening quarter over a three-game span to begin the month of February. Their most recent loss, 109-101 in Sacramento on Wednesday, was eerily similar to Saturdays defeat at the hands of the Trail Blazers. Cheap Air Max 270 Wholesale . Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko simply scoffed when he was asked to summarize in a paragraph Monday nights wild 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals. "I dont know if a paragraph is enough," he said. Well, first came the five-run lead that the Royals established in the first inning. Then a frantic comeback by Chicago, capped by Konerkos two-run homer. And finally, clutch pitching by relievers Scott Downs and Jake Petricka to save the series-opening win. All in a nice, tidy paragraph. "We got behind big early, like a lot of games here in the past," Konerko said. "But guys started taking pride in their at-bats and we started to chip away." Alexei Ramirez homered and drove in four runs, and Dayan Viciedo went deep before Konerko -- starting in place of injured slugger Jose Abreu -- hit his go-ahead homer in the fifth. Zach Putnam (2-0) worked two shutout innings in relief of Scott Carroll, and Ronald Belisario also threw two scoreless innings before Downs and Petricka bailed out Matt Lindstrom. Lindstrom, normally the White Sox closer, gave up a leadoff single to Nori Aoki in the ninth, then appeared to step awkwardly fielding a sacrifice bunt by Alcides Escobar that resulted in an error. Downs entered and struck out Eric Hosmer, and then Petricka picked off pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson at second base before getting Billy Butler on a groundout for his first save. "The bullpen was great. They just continue to shine," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura, who was still awaiting word after the game on the severity of Lindstroms right ankle injury. "It didnt look good," he said. Jason Vargas (4-2) squandered the rare five-run lead the Royals pop-gun offence gave him. He allowed all seven White Sox runs in 4 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. "I dont get too mad about a lot of things, but given a five-run lead in the first inning and coughing it up halfway through the fifth inning -- thats not good enough to get it done," he said. Carroll, who grew up just north of Kauffman Stadium iin Liberty, had a rude homecoming for the White Sox. Discount Air Max 270. He allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base, failed to get an out on his first 30 pitches and trailed 5-0 by the second inning. "I was making good pitches," he said, "and they were just finding holes." The White Sox got three runs back in the third, when Ramirez hit a 2-2 pitch for his sixth homer, matching his total from last year. They got another back in the fourth, when Viciedo sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall to make it 5-4. Kansas City scraped out a run in the bottom half on Hosmers RBI single, but the White Sox completed their comeback during a messy fifth inning that ended with Vargas on the bench. It began with a single by Adam Eaton and another by Gordon Beckham, who was thrown out trying to reach second. Ramirez made it 6-5 with a groundout, but apparently thought he was safe as he was tagged sliding past the bag. Replays showed he missed the base by about 2 feet. It turned out to be a moot point. Adam Dunn walked moments later, and Konerko followed with Chicagos third homer in three innings, a two-run shot that gave the White Sox the lead. That was it for Vargas, who had been on a roll coming into the game. He won his previous two starts and held high-powered Colorado to two runs in a 3-2 victory his last time out. "Its just a tough one," Butler said. "We had that big first and then we tacked on a run and Konerko hits a home run to put them ahead. You feel like at that point, thats not going to win the game, that there is going to be more scoring. Give their bullpen credit, they came in and did a great job." NOTES: Abreu had an MRI that revealed no structural damage. Ventura characterized it as "good news." ... Royals LHP Bruce Chen (bulging disk) and White Sox LHP Chris Sale (left flexor muscle strain) plan to throw bullpen sessions Tuesday. ... Royals C Salvador Perez left in the eighth inning with a jammed right hand. Hes expected to miss a couple days. ... RHP Yordano Ventura starts for Kansas City on Tuesday night. RHP Andre Rienzo pitches for Chicago. Cheap Hoodies From China Discount NFL Shirts Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Fast Shipping China Jerseys Stitched Jerseys ' ' '
