Clan-Members » alf a leg or half a finger, just find a way

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The most decorated athlete in Olympic history will carry the United States flag during the opening ceremony for the Rio Games.Michael Phelps was selected in a vote by members of the U.S. Olympic team. The decision was announced Wednesday morning.Phelps was a logical choice heading into his fifth Summer Games. He has won 18 golds and 22 medals overall, far more than any other athlete.Phelps skipped the opening ceremony at the last three Olympics to rest up for the grueling 400-meter individual medley, which is held the next day.But with that event no longer a part of his program, Phelps is available to carry the flag in Friday nights ceremony at the Maracana.Phelps says he is humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all that it stands for.Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. George Bell Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-bud-norris-jersey/ . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Ken Giles Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status.ARLINGTON, Texas --?Adrian Beltre slid headfirst into second, arriving just before the tag. Then the fun began.Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar put his glove on Beltres left hand. Beltre, still on all fours, put his right hand on the base, pulling his left hand back. So Villar put the glove on his right hand. Then Beltre put his left hand back on the base and pulled his right hand back. So Villar put his glove on his left hand again.This impromptu game of baseball patty cake lasted about five seconds unless, of course, you watched the GIF on Twitter, repeatedly.That is the essence of Beltre. Play hard. Laugh hard. Repeat.Beltres sense of humor has been on display throughout the season, whether hes goofing off on a popup with shortstop Elvis Andrus, asking the umpire for his own appeal of a pitch he didnt swing at, rounding first base on a base hit and doing an exaggerated scramble to return to the base or performing a quick cha-cha when an inside pitch comes close to hitting him.But hes the same guy who has mastered the art of charging grounders and throwing out runners from impossible arm angles. More than once, he has hit a homer while dropping to one knee after a ferocious swing. He controls the Rangers clubhouse, whether its chastising Andrus in April for not running hard because Andrus thought he had homered and wound up with a double or giving Rougned Odor a little smack on the neck in August for an ill-conceived baserunning error. Odor responded with a walk-off homer.On our team, the only guy I can think of who compared in the same sort of joy was Pudge [Ivan Rodriguez], said Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel, who has been calling games since 1979.I look for guys who play with a smile on their face. Its one of the things that made [Ken] Griffey [Jr.] so popular in his generation. All of these kids who tell you Griffey was their idol, that was one of the reasons. He seemed to be having so much fun doing it. He really was a kid playing a game, even later on his career.The 37-year-old Beltre, playing in his 19th season, is totally at peace with himself on the baseball diamond. The Rangers cleanup hitter finished the season hitting .300 with 32 homers, 104 RBIs and OPs of .879.As the Rangers have clinched the American League West title for the fourth time in seven years and have the ALs best record to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Beltre has been at his best. The Rangers will host the?Toronto Blue Jays?on Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Globe Life Park.Since Aug. 1, Beltre has 16 homers and 39 RBIs. No one has enjoyed this season more than Beltre.Coming up in the system, hes the guy we always watched and coaches always talked about, Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo said. They teach us to play like him and have fun. Obviously, there are things he can do that we arent allowed to do. Rookies just cant do what he does -- I might get in trouble for goofing around on a popup -- but when youve done what hes done in the game and you have Beltre on your back, you can do it.Beltre hasnt always been this way. Earlier in this career, he put so much pressure on himself to produce so he could take care of his family that he forgot why he loved the game. Hitting and fielding became a 9-to-5-like job, not a game grown men are blessed to earn millions playing.His wife, Sandra, and his three children -- ages 12, 10 and 6 -- changed all that.I wasnt doing good at the time. I was having slow starts in the first half of the season and that would kill me, Beltre said. I didnt enjoy the game. I didnt sleep. I didnt enjoy doing anything outside of baseball.My wife helped me understand everythings not about baseball. Its what you like to do and you get paid for it, but once youre off the field, you have a life. Once I had a babyy, I understood that Im a husband and a father and thats going to come first.ddddddddddddThen I started enjoying the game, he continued. I could just go out there and do my job -- work hard at it -- and let my talent take over.These days, Beltre often takes 15 to 20 minutes to hit or play catch with his son, Adrian Jr., between watching video, batting practice and the other parts of his routine he does to get ready for game day. No one prepares harder. His teammates will attest to that.His work ethic and production are why teammates respect him -- and thats the only thing he craves more than laughter on the diamond.I like to have fun and enjoy the game but at the same time not to disrespect anybody or offend anybody, Beltre said. I try not to cross the line. I always wanted to do things the right way, so people will respect me.I take a lot of pride in people respecting me. For me, its really important. For me, personally, when I hear guys that I played against for a while say, Hey, Im a big fan, I respect you, that means a lot more than anything else.Jeff Banister didnt know Beltre before being named the Rangers manager prior to the 2015 season. Banister quickly learned about Beltres baseball values.What Ive gotten to know and love most about him is the tremendous heart he has, Banister said. The leadership is off the charts. Its as good as you would want in any player in any point of their career. The love of the game is unmatched with anybody Ive ever been around.You see it in his smile. You see it in his actions. You see how he plays. At his age, he continues to show up every single day the same way. Every single day. You see the joy that he has ... then you see the vet take over when he sees other players not give the game the respect that it needs. You dont do that if you dont really love the game.Beltre has impacted Andrus more than any other player. Theyve shared the left side of the infield for six years and have produced some of the games most spectacular and comedic moments. There is a two-minute video of Beltre and Andrus goofing off on the field. Most of the time Andrus incites a scowl; one time Beltre threw his glove at Andrus during a mound visit.After Beltre homers, you can count on Andrus to remove Beltres batting helmet once he is in the dugout and touch his head, which just happens to be Beltres pet peeve.Its like when you have an annoying little brother and you want to help him as much as you can, because you want to see him succeed, but at the same time, he annoys the heck out of you. Thats Elvis, Beltre said.Despite the fun times, Andrus said Beltre has taught him the most important aspect of being a pro.I have to find a way to play every single day with pain or no pain, Andrus said. Half a leg or half a finger, just find a way to play. Theres something you can do that day to help the team win. Thats something I take pride in and try to follow.The Rangers won more than 90 games for the fifth time in seven years. They have a lineup capable of manufacturing runs or winning with a barrage of homers. Their bullpen had a string of 35? scoreless innings snapped on Sunday, and they believe their top two starters -- Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish -- are among the games best.Theres no reason they cant win a title.Ive spent 19 years in the big leagues, but I only been close once. Thats how difficult it is to win a championship, Beltre said. I dont want them to take it for granted, because once you get an opportunity like we have this year, you have to take advantage of it. You cant think we might do it next year.No, this is it. You never know when youre going to get back here. You have to go all out.He was not smiling when he said it. ' ' '