OAKLAND, Calif. [url=https://www.cheapavalanche.com/]Avalanche Jerseys China[/url] . -- Keeping active in the trade market, the Oakland Athletics acquired right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Seth Smith. It marked the second swap of the day for the two-time de

OAKLAND, Calif. Avalanche Jerseys China . -- Keeping active in the trade market, the Oakland Athletics acquired right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Seth Smith. It marked the second swap of the day for the two-time defending AL West champion As and third in two days. Gregerson will join a bullpen with new closer Jim Johnson, acquired from Baltimore on Monday night. Dealing Smith became a viable option when general manager Billy Beane acquired Craig Gentry from division rival Texas earlier Tuesday. Gregerson went 6-8 with a 2.71 ERA and four saves in 73 relief outings for the Padres in 2013. Smith batted .253 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 117 games in his second season with the As. The Padres have plenty of outfielders, including Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Will Venable, Chris Denorfia and Alexi Amarista, who had been primarily an infielder. Quentin and Maybin missed significant time with injuries last season. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said Smith could play left or right field, and probably will end up with 400 to 500 plate appearances. Smith will allow the Padres to match up better against right-handers and have a more viable bat in the lineup when Quentin needs days off due to his balky knees. "Obviously he did a great job this past year and hit lefties better than he ever has, which is a good thing," Byrnes said of Smith. "We liked our offence for a year, kind of from All-Star break to All-Star break. Injuries last year, toward the end of the year we werent scoring runs. The reality is, were coming off a year where we asked Venable and Denorfia to do more than they ever have. We asked Amarista to play a lot in the outfield. We extended Quentin and Maybin. "I dont think weve overdone it by acquiring Smith, but we just want to make sure that if there is an injury or two, that we dont have such a dropoff, that were still showing up every night, especially against right-handed pitching, and able to score runs," Byrnes added. Byrnes said the Padres might be looking to add a reliever or two, or could move some starters to the bullpen. Cheap Avalanche Jerseys . Inter moved five points behind fourth-place Fiorentina and eight points behind third-place Napoli, which visits relegation-threatened Sassuolo on Sunday. Colorado Avalanche Shirts .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla.BOSTON - Annually sprinkled among the myriad storylines which crop up at this very important time of the Major League Baseball season is that of the veteran player, he who has long performed at a high level and has long been good for the game, seeking an elusive World Series ring. Wouldnt you know it, with the American League Championship Series set to begin on Saturday night at Fenway Park, the host Red Sox and the visiting Tigers each have one of those guys. Canadian Ryan Dempster fits the bill. At 36 years old and in his first season in Boston, the native of Gibsons, British Columbia has made his money (more than $89 million over a 16-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) has pitched at a high level (eight seasons with at least 10 wins - the fact he was a closer for four seasons makes the accomplishment more impressive;) and is regarded by both teammates and media as one of the more likable players in the sport. Anyone who was paying attention during Dempsters days with the Cubs remembers him out-Farrelling Will Farrells Harry Caray impression. He was also the closer on the 2007 Chicago team that was swept by Arizona in a Division Series. In 2008, by then more than four years removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, he reprised his role as a starter. He even got the ball in the first game of that seasons Division Series against the Dodgers. The Cubs, oh the lovable Cubs, were swept yet again. These days, Dempster has accepted a diminished role in the post-season. Hes pitching out of the bullpen for the first time since 2007, a move made in mid-September in anticipation of the playoffs. "It was funny, I remember getting called into the office right before we were playing the Blue Jays, that last series of the season with them and John (Farrell) and Ben (Cherington) pulled me in and we were talking about the possibility of me going to the bullpen for the playoffs and maybe getting me a few outings out of the pen just to get used to it again," Dempster told TSN.ca. "I dont know if they expected me to have a different response but I greeted it with open arms and looked at it like, hey man, at the time we had six starters throwing the ball really well and the realization was with my experience in the bullpen I was totally comfortable going down there." With Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz returning to pre-2012 form, with John Lackey back from Tommy John elbow surgery and throwing like the ace he was in Anaheim and with the mid-summer acquisition of Jake Peavy bringing his bulldog-like mound presence and nasty sinker ball, it was clear Dempster (8-9, 4.64, 1.453 WHIP in his first year in the American League East) wouldnt be getting starts come October. Thats okay, because its whats best for the team and in 2013, whhats best for the team prevails in Boston. Fake Avalanche Jerseys. "From a pitching standpoint, weve got some tremendous starting pitchers," said Dempster. "Weve got a really strong bullpen and then we try to focus as hard on those things as we do the little things. The defence, the moving runners over, taking advantage on the basepaths. If you can do those little things, those are things that kind of help you set yourself apart from the other teams that youre playing." Torii Hunter is over there, in the other dugout, and he knows all about what Dempster has gone through (multiple playoff appearances, no titles) and what Dempsters anticipating now. Hes been to the playoffs nine times (five with the Twins, thrice with the Angels and currently with the Tigers,) and hasnt had a World Series appearance, let alone a championship, to show for it. This is his third ALCS appearance, the last of which came with the 2009 Angels. "To be back in the post-season and to get the chance to win a World Series ring, thats big for me," said Hunter, before joking, "Thats key for me because Im only 28 years old but its getting late." Typical Hunter. Big smile, cracking a joke, keeping those around him at ease. You stand there and believe he could actually be deriving enjoyment from this player availability session. Like Dempster, Hunter has made his money (almost $147 million over a 17-year career, according to baseball-reference.com;) hes played at a high level (.279/.335/.476 for his career;) and hes regarded as a good teammate and community guy, involved in numerous charitable endeavours. Last season Hunter, knowing with the emergence of Mike Trout and his own impending free agency that his days with the Angels were numbered, began keeping a mental notebook of teams around the league. He was trying to figure out where he would best fit and which team would best fit him. The Yankees were a legitimate option. Funny enough, so were the Red Sox. Both received strong consideration before Hunter inked a two-year, $26-million deal with the Tigers through 2014. "Do these guys need a right fielder?" said Hunter of one of his scouting criteria. "Do they need a two-hole guy or fifth-hole guy? I looked at the pitching staffs. If I didnt like facing those guys and I went 0-14, thats the team I wanted to play for and I did that a lot with the Tigers last year. I had a chance to look at all that and look at Scherzer and Verlander, Anibal coming back so I definitely took my chances with those guys." With strong starting pitching and potent offensive lineups, its difficult to predict with certainty which team will emerge victorious. One thing is clear, however: Only one of Dempster and Hunter will get a shot at that ring. ' ' '