Clan-Members » ge in the basketball operations department, r

Ill make this clear before anyone begins to get too upset: Bullying and hazing have no place in organized sports, or in civil society for that matter.On that Im sure we can all -- at least most of us -- agree. The combination has ruined many lives, and wed all be better off without it.That said, Im still finding it hard to imagine who brought this up when negotiators for Major League Baseball and the players union got together at the bargaining table for their new contract .Uh, guys, weve been getting some complaints lately that players have had to dress up like women. Some have even put on lipstick, and badly. Before we get to free agency and the minimum wage, Id like to propose some new contract language that bans players from dressing up as Hooters waitresses or Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.To be sure, its not such a bad thing. If youve ever seen a grown baseball player in a dress and wig, youd quickly realize most are no RuPaul. Fellow players might find it funny, but locker room humor isnt always that humorous.Still, you have to wonder why baseball players seem to have such a need to be protected from everything these days.They cant slide hard into second base anymore for fear of either hurting themselves or the $20 million-a-year shortstop. No collisions allowed at home plate, either, because someone watched an old film clip of Pete Rose running over Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star Game.Dont even think of violating a pitch count, or a new-age manager like Dave Roberts of the Dodgers will head to the mound with a hook even when a pitcher (Rich Hill) is throwing a perfect game.And, of course, soon they wont be able to spit tobacco all over the turf, something thats been around in baseball for well over a century and helped popularize the spitball in the old days.Whats next, a ban on shaving cream pies in the eye after game-winning RBI? They can sting a bit, you know, and who can say there wont be permanent eye damage?Sometimes, these big bruising multimillionaires just look like babies. Actually, they did last year when manager Joe Maddon had his Cubs wear pajamas on the flight home from a tough 1-0 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.That surely will be banned, too, especially after the newspaper headline the next morning in Chicago after pitcher John Lester was seen walking from the clubhouse in a onesie and cowboy boots.Cubs sent home in their pajamas after series spanking by Dodgers, it read.Some of the rationale for the new rule is that what happens in the clubhouse doesnt stay in the clubhouse anymore. Thats largely because of social media, which the players themselves can sometimes use carelessly.What is supposed to be a gag among 25 guys doesnt look so funny when its spread on Instagram or Twitter.Theres lots of pictures of baseball players dressed up as Disney princesses, MLB Vice President Paul Mifsud said.Theres also a picture of Mike Trout dressed as Lady Gaga in a 2011 rookie hazing that still circulates online. Trout seems to be taking it in good spirits, but you have to wonder if he will one day regret he didnt get to be a Disney princess instead.Yes, the line should be drawn at outright bullying and hazing. Richie Incognitos bullying of Jonathan Martin when the two were teammates on the Miami Dolphins highlighted the ugly and very real consequences of such behavior.But Im not sure that grown men getting paid millions of dollars to play sports need protection against everything. And while having rookies don cheerleader outfits or princess costumes may be a bit embarrassing and not politically correct, its probably not going to scar anybody for life.Not everything can be legislated, and not everything can be negotiated. Ballplayers will sometimes just be ballplayers, and thats part of their appeal.They scratch and spit, and do things sometimes that youd rather not see your kids doing. But then you watch them jumping all over each other after winning a World Series and realize that underneath it all theyre a lot like kids, too, only bigger.Oh, wait, no more jumping around. Someone might get hurt.A polite handshake will have to suffice.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Donald Payne Jersey Retro .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Buzz Sawyer Jersey Retro . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/taylor-decker-jersey-retro/ . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Randy Coffield Jersey Retro . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Jordan Bernstine Jersey Retro . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday.With a new management team in place and the addition of a couple of key role players, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey is hopeful his team can make the jump into a playoff position in 2013-14. Speaking on TSN 1050s Macko & Cauz show on Tuesday, the third-year bench boss is excited to see how his new pieces blend with the teams young core. “We needed toughness inside to go along with Jonas Valanciunas), Amir Johnson and Aaron Gray and we brought in Tyler Hansbrough, who I think our fans will be excited about.” To go along with the former Pacers power forward, the team addressed its perimeter shooting need via the Andrea Bargnani deal and in free agency. “We needed three-point shooting and we got Steve Novak and Austin Daye, who is a young untapped talented player who has three-point shooting ability.” Following a 17-32 start, the Raptors played the rest of the season one game over .500, in part because of a renewed emphasis on the defensive end. “We will get back to defence and let the offence take care of itself,” Casey said. “I thought Masai (Ujiri), Jeff (Weltman) and our management team did an excellent job of bringing in the type of players that will fit our needs.” Still, the team finished four games out of a playoff spot and new president and CEO Tim Leiweke decided to make a change in the basketball operations department, replacing former GM Bryan Colanagelo with Ujiri.dddddddddddd Casey said Ujiri and Leiweke operate differently than Coloangelo in that the former GM took a more hands-on approach than the current structure. “Bryans management style is more hands on. Hes there every day, hes involved…Theres nothing wrong with that, its just a different management style.” Casey is confident where the team is headed, but noted that the expectation of a playoff spot last season may have been too unrealistic. “I thought we put the cart before the horse last year in talking about the playoffs too soon, we were still building…Adding Rudy, adding some of the pieces we have now, weve accelerated that building.” Casey mentioned that while the team is positioned to make a playoff push this season, the overall focus is still on growing and developing the talented core they have in place. “We have good young talent thats getting better, but at the same time we want to win. We owe it to our fans, we owe it to our organization to put our best foot forward and go out to compete to win.” ' ' '