Die Jäger des Schicksals » be as successful as our cu

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Brian Roberts and Derek Jeter joked around the batting cage before the game at Angel Stadium, wondering which old guy would be the last to hit his first homer of the season. Even Roberts was a bit surprised to beat the captain in that competition, and he did it at a key moment for the New York Yankees. Roberts hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the ninth inning, and the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 Tuesday night for just their second victory in seven games. Roberts connected with two outs against Ernesto Frieri (0-3), putting his first homer with his new club into the elevated right field stands. After the game, the ball was nestled in the locker of the longtime Baltimore infielder. "Never hit a homer in any other uniform, so Ill take it home," said Roberts, who also had an early RBI single. "I feel like Ive gotten a lot more comfortable. Sometimes, some things just click. Its been nice to get something going a little bit." After a slow start in pinstripes, Roberts is steadily improving at the plate, according to manager Joe Girardi. The Yankees unassuming replacement for second baseman Robinson Cano now has the same number of homers as Cano has hit for the Seattle Mariners this season. Alfonso Soriano had a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, and David Robertson pitched the ninth for his fifth save in an all-around encouraging effort by the Yankees. Hiroki Kuroda had his longest and best start of the season, allowing just one earned run and not walking a batter while striking out eight in 7 2-3 innings. The Japanese right-hander is winless in four starts, but he largely shut down the Angels. "When Kuroda pitched the way he did, you need to win those games," Roberts said. Mike Trout tripled and scored the tying run on Albert Pujols two-out single off Shawn Kelley (1-2) in the eighth inning for the Angels, who had won five of seven on their nine-game homestand. Erick Aybar and Trout drove in runs with consecutive sacrifice flies in the third inning for the Angels, but their combustible bullpen let them down again after eight solid innings by C.J. Wilson. Frieri had been pitching well since losing his job as the Angels closer, and manager Mike Scioscia isnt discouraged. "(Frieri) just made one mistake tonight," Scioscia said. "He just yanked one pitch to Roberts, but give Roberts credit. He was ready for it." The Angels couldnt reward Wilson, who yielded seven hits and struck out five in just his second non-winning start since April 1. Wilson hit Jeter with a pitch to open the eighth, and Carlos Beltrans seeing-eye grounder up the middle sent Jeter to third. Jeter was tagged out after Mark Teixeiras grounder, but Sorianos single to left easily scored Beltran. "This is a lineup that typically goes up there and swings for damage," Wilson said of the Yankees. "But today they made a concerted effort to put the ball in play and make contact. I didnt have a lot of strikeouts because they were just fighting pitches off and stuff. They did a really good job of that." Trout snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a two-out triple off the top of the right-field wall in the eighth, barely missing a tying homer. Trout has never gone more than 14 at-bats without a hit in his major league career, but he had something close to a slump when he struck out on a pitch in the dirt to end the fifth, stranding two runners. "We all know how good a hitter he is," Kuroda said through a translator. "At that moment (in the eighth), I tried to just attack him and see how it goes. I dont feel bad about it." The hit chased Kuroda, and Pujols worked a full count from Shawn Kelley before delivering a clean single to left-centre. NOTES: Jeter was serenaded with chants of his name and a standing ovation for the second straight night of his final regular-season series at the Big A. He reached base three times, getting the Yankees first hit in the third inning. ... Wilson has thrown at least 111 pitches in all seven of his starts this season. ... Kuroda is winless in his last 10 road starts. Ronnie Lott Jersey . A 23-year-old rookie, Stroman is 4-2 with a 3.44 earned run average in 12 games this season, the past seven of those being starts. He logged the first scoreless outing of his career on Friday versus Oakland in a no-decision. Jim Plunkett Jersey . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elite-Lyle-Alzado-Raiders-Jersey/ . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. Lester Hayes Jersey .Murray has played 20 matches in five weeks, winning three titles to climb to fifth in the ATP Race.The two-time Grand Slam champion also seeks to qualify for next months ATP World Tour Finals.Murray said: I always wanted to qualify for it, but also I want to get back into the top 8 players in the world and it makes a huge difference for seedings in the major events. Fred Biletnikoff Jersey . Its a blessing and a burden for nine sons of former NHL players who are all expected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft this weekend. LONDON -- In this bleakest of introductions to Manchester United, David Moyes is struggling with the hand dealt to him by the club. A squad that was in need of more than just tinkering when Alex Ferguson retired, has faded as a force and seems incapable of competing with the elite. The giants of English football lurch to a new low each month as the transition following Fergusons 26-year reign proves more difficult than the fans or owners could have envisaged. Under Ferguson, seasons were about chasing trophies. Now its about avoiding further embarrassment, with United out of the domestic cups and sixth in the Premier League, 11 points from the Champions League places. Needing to lift the trophy in May to return to the Champions League, Uniteds matchup with Olympiakos in the round of 16 seemed like a gift to Moyes from UEFA. But United was insipid in Greece on Tuesday, and bereft of any attacking threat or defensive cohesion in a 2-0 loss. Thirty years ago pre-Ferguson, United overturned such a deficit against Barcelona to advance in the European Cup Winners Cup at Old Trafford, but such a feat would seem beyond this group of players, for whom the Theatre of Dreams has become the scene of too many nightmares this season. "I take responsibility, its my team," Moyes said at Olympiakos. The message from within Old Trafford remains that Moyes will be entrusted with leading the clubs revival. How much is Moyes to blame for Uniteds misfortunes? The Scot was chosen to replace his compatriot partly because he was low-maintenance and would not storm in wanting to rip up the squad. It was in an unusual moment of candour from within the United hierarchy, the day after the title was clinched with four games to spare last April, when this became apparent -- just before Moyes was approached to replace Ferguson. At that point, then-chief executive David Gill knew Ferguson would be retiring within weeks, despite the managers public denial days earlier. And, although Gill did not let slip Fergusons secret, what he said in an Associated Press interview indicated that a change might not be too far away, and that the Glazer family didnt want any drastic changes to the team. Although United would go on to win a 13th Premier League title under Ferguson by 11 points, such rampant success masked the necessity to strengthen an aging squad. "The quality of the squad, the composition of that squad, means that any new manager coming in will inherit a great squad of players," Gill told the AP on April 23, 2013. "And yes he may, whenever that is ... clearly want to bring in one or two of his own people, new players. But he wont want to change the squad wholesale because (then) he wont be our manager. Weve got to be consistent with that and thats what we are planning on." The comments were eye-catching but set against Fergusons retirement denial. The successsion plan, however, would be implemented rapidly, as Moyes was handed the job -- initially secretly -- to leave Everton and fill one of the toughest vacancies in football.dddddddddddd Perhaps United did not fully recognize the Ferguson factor in pushing the team beyond its limits, although the clubs shareholders had been warned about the dangers of British footballs most successful and feared manager hanging up his hairdryer one day. "Any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager," United said as it prepared to float on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012. "A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players." As it proved in Moyes first transfer window. After the audacious pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas failed, Marouane Fellaini was the only major summer signing and the recruit from Everton has made little impact during an injury-hit season. The flaws in planning for the post-Ferguson era have become apparent in recent months. And from within the United boardroom a different message has emerged about this summers strategy, with vice chairman Ed Woodward, who assumed Gills responsibilities, conceding the squad does in fact requirement a significant overhaul. Rather than building from a position of strength, as was possible last summer, the empire must fight back from one of weakness. "We are not afraid of moving in the market in a way we havent seen in recent years," Woodward said on a conference call with Wall Street insiders two weeks ago. Juan Mata was persuaded to join from Chelsea last month in a club-record 31.7 million-pound ($62-million) move. And Wayne Rooney was convinced to sign a new contract in the last week through 2019, a powerful if expensive message to the world that the club can retain talent. While not challenging for titles, United remains the indisputable commercial champion of English football, with the Glazer family building up a formidable marketing operation. The club expects to generate around 430 million pounds ($718 million) in revenue this season, although such prosperity diminishes with an enduring downturn on the pitch. The great fear is that the 20-time English champions morph into the next Liverpool, which is on the rise having won the last of its 18 topflight titles in 1990. The club, though, wont want to be living on past successes for too long, but its hard to see where the next trophy is coming from. "United need six top