CLEVELAND - A year after flourishing down the stretch and landing a playoff spot, the Cleveland Indians are trying to do it agai

CLEVELAND - A year after flourishing down the stretch and landing a playoff spot, the Cleveland Indians are trying to do it again. Daniel Kilgore Dolphins Jersey . Manager Terry Franconas one-day-at-a-time approach last season paid off with a wild-card berth. The Indians went 21-6 in September, including a 10-game winning streak to end the season. Cleveland, which is five games out in both the AL Central and wild-card race, will need a similar finish this time. The Indians and Minnesota Twins will play a doubleheader Thursday after Wednesday nights game was postponed by rain. Francona realizes that every day is crucial with 19 games to play, but his philosophy is staying the same. "Changing your colours, changing your stripes doesnt help players play better," he said. "Thinking too far ahead doesnt help. The best way to put yourself in that position is to take care of your business at hand. I just think that makes sense." The Indians dropped the series opener 4-3 on Tuesday, a difficult loss to a team that has the second-worst record in the AL. "Screaming and yelling doesnt make guys swing the bat and doesnt make you score runs," Francona said. "This is a game of almost who can handle frustration the best because theres so much of it." Francona admits its not always easy to maintain that philosophy on a personal level. "I probably dont on the inside," he said. "I do the best I can on the outside. This games really hard. I know that better than anybody." The Indians won six of seven before dropping three of four in a crucial series to Detroit last week. Cleveland swept three games from the Chicago White Sox before losing Tuesday. "Weve got a good group," Francona said. "We show up and play as well as we can and see where it takes you. You get down to the last week and maybe be aware of your surroundings, but I dont know if you can start doing crazy stuff. That doesnt really work." Wednesdays game was called off about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. Strong storms were in the forecast into early Thursday morning. The day off will give the Twins some rest before they try to do more damage to Clevelands playoff hopes. "Weve got to hold on to that mentality, to be honest," said reliever Brian Duensing, one of five pitchers the Twins used in Tuesdays win. "I think we owe it to the game of baseball. If we were to just come out and shut it down and not really give 100 per cent, its not fair to the game. Weve got to try and play spoiler and make it as difficult as possible on people." Indians ace Corey Kluber (14-9) will start game one against right-hander Kyle Gibson (11-10). Left-hander T.J. House (2-3) will pitch game two for the Indians against Ricky Nolasco (5-10). Frank Gore Dolphins Jersey . - While a fast-paced offence has become more of a fixture in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs can still grind out games when needed. A.J. Derby Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Durham-Smythe-Jersey/ . John Albert Elway, 24, was booked into jail early Saturday morning after an incident near a college campus in downtown Denver, according to jail records.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Less than three years after being one of the most prized free agents on the open market, Nnamdi Asomugha NFL career is over. Asomugha formally announced his retirement Friday at the Oakland Raiders headquarters, ending his 11-year career at the place he had his most success. "Im just grateful to be back, grateful for everything to go full circle," Asomugha said. "For all of the achievements and awards, to be able to retire as a Raider ranks highest among all of those." Asomugha made three Pro Bowls and was a two-time first-team All-Pro during his eight seasons with the Raiders when he was considered one of the leagues top cover cornerbacks. But his career quickly fizzled after signing a $60 million, five-year contract with Philadelphia in the summer of 2011. He was cut after two years with the Eagles and played just three games this season for San Francisco before being released in November. He said he had opportunities to come back since then but felt the time was right to go on with the rest of his life. Asomugha was joined at his retirement news conference by three of the Raiders best defensive backs: Hall of Famer Willie Brown, Lester Hayes and Charles Woodson. Asomugha credited all three, along with others like Rod Woodson and Mike Haynes for his transformation from a college safety to an elite NFL cornerback. "He turned into what they call that shut-down corner," Woodson said. "People just decided going into the game they werent going to throw at him. Thats a testament to his hard work." Asomugha came into the NFL as a first-round pick out of California in 2003 and became one of the rare Al Davis first-rounders to pan out in his later years running the Raiders. After taking a few years to adjust to playing cornerback after being mostly a safety in college, Asomugha thrived in the Raiderrs system that often left cornerbacks alone on an island matched up man-to-man against opposing receivers. Josh Sitton Dolphins Jersey. "When I first came into the league not too many people really knew who I was," Asomugha said. "When I first got here I was definitely called a reach. In great Al Davis fashion, he took a reach that he believed in and instilled confidence in me like nobody else could and I was able to become all that he expected of me." Asomugha had a breakthrough season in 2006 when he intercepted eight passes and was a rare bright spot on a 2-14 team. By the next season, opposing quarterbacks rarely even threw the ball his direction. In his final four seasons with the Raiders, Asomugha had just 136 passes thrown at him in 60 games, allowing just 66 completions and only two touchdowns. Asomugha was paid well for his performance in Oakland, earning $9.5 million in 2008 and then signing a $45.3 million, three-year deal the following off-season. That contract voided after his second year and he became one of the most prominent free agents after the lockout ended in 2011. After never playing on a winning team in his eight seasons in Oakland, Asomugha joined the Eagles in what was billed as the "dream team." But he never fit in to a system that had him playing zone coverage instead of being exclusively in man-to-man. Philadelphia was one of the leagues most disappointing teams in his two seasons there, going 12-20 and missing the playoffs both times. Asomugha signed a minimum contract with the 49ers last off-season but made one start and played three games before being released, meaning he will end his career having never made the playoffs. "We didnt get a championship, that was the goal," Asomugha said. "But we had a lot of championship moments here and thats the stuff I can be proud of moving forward." Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '