Offtopic/fun » ed before the start of next season, but the likelihoo

NEW YORK -- Just call him Johnny Baseball. Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 28th round of the Major League Baseball draft Saturday -- the 837th player taken. Manziel was listed as a shortstop for Texas A&M, although he never played for the Aggies as he focused on football. He hasnt played baseball since high school and probably wont see the diamond again as he embarks on his NFL career, but was happy the Padres took a swing at him. "Big thank you to the (at)Padres and (at)padresmikedee for selecting me in the MLB draft," Manziel wrote on his Twitter page. "What a great day!" Mike Dee, the Padres president and CEO, tweeted back: "Best athlete on the board... .JohnnyBaseball." Manziel, the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012, was taken by the Browns with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL draft last month. "It was kind of, Why not?" Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said Saturday before the Padres hosted the Washington Nationals. In May 2013, Manziel visited the Padres when he was in San Diego to work with a quarterbacks coach. "He certainly loves baseball," Byrnes said. "We kind of talked about it at that time, Do you want us to draft you? He said, Yeah, absolutely." Why in the 28th round? "We really liked our 27th-rounder," Byrnes said. Asked the odds of actually signing Manziel, Byrnes, a big football fan, just smiled. Manziel played baseball and football at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, and asked Texas A&M coaches about being part of the baseball team before winning the Aggies starting quarterback job as a redshirt freshman. Earlier this week, Manziel -- decked out in an Indians jersey -- was set to throw out the first pitch in Cleveland before the Indians played Boston. He warmed up earlier with Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin, but his toss was washed out by rain that delayed the start. But, in May 2013, Manziel took batting practice with the Padres at Petco Park and tossed out a football-style first pitch as he dropped back, scrambled to the side of the mound and floated a bootleg "pass" to San Diego outfielder Mark Kotsay, who caught it behind his back with his glove. On Manziels first swing in batting practice, the bat flew out of his hands, but he settled down and later drove a pitch off the right-field wall. "I didnt know he played baseball," Padres right-hander Ian Kennedy said Saturday. "Anybody in Texas probably plays all those sports, football, baseball." Padres closer Huston Street, who pitched at Texas and whose late father, James, played quarterback for the Longhorns, liked the pick, even if Manziel did play for the Aggies. "Im a fan. I think hes an exciting player," Street said. "I think hes good for sport. I think he plays hard. I dont know if hell ever wear a Padre uniform, but it sure is exciting that the organization took him. I know he hung out here last year a couple times and everybody really enjoyed his presence. Everybody liked him. I came away from that day thinking, Man, thats a good dude, thats a cool guy. It seemed like he was a very focused, mentally strong guy. He wanted to do something. We know what he can do in football. "Heck, if he wants to come out here and hang around before games ... I dont know if they let 28th-round picks do that," Street said. "But hes a great athlete. I dont think anybody expects to see him in the big leagues, but maybe hes going to try and do both. I dont know. If he does, hes one of the more competitive people Ive been around. Well see what happens with his football career. Hes potentially got a baseball one." Street isnt sure if Johnny Football would try both sports. "I would tell him to dont try to be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none," Street said. "But at the same time, its been done before. I dont know about at the quarterback position. A little bit tougher position." Big-time quarterbacks are no stranger to recent Major League Baseball drafts. John Elway, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Daunte Culpepper, Colin Kaepernick and Jake Locker were all drafted by big league teams but instead stuck to the gridiron. Russell Wilson of the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks was a fifth-rounder by Baltimore out of high school in 2007, but opted to go to North Carolina State. He was a fourth-round pick of Colorado in 2010 and played in the Rockies system as a second baseman. Wilson, who had transferred to Wisconsin, told the Rockies in January 2012 that he wanted to pursue an NFL career, and in December 2013 was acquired by the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 draft. A few weeks after winning the Super Bowl, Wilson attended Rangers spring training and participated in infield drills. Next year, Florida States Jameis Winston could be in the same situation as Manziel. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback also is a hard-throwing closer for the Seminoles baseball team. Winston was already a 15th-round pick of the Rangers in 2012. The sons of Cal Ripken Jr. and Mariano Rivera were just a few of the other familiar names selected on the final day of the Major league Baseball draft. The sons of former big leaguers Bobby Bonilla, John Franco, Tom Browning, Benito Santiago and Magglio Ordonez were also taken as baseballs draft wrapped up Saturday after three days, 40 rounds and 1,215 players chosen. Ryan Ripken, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound first baseman from Indian River State College in Florida, was taken in the 15th round by Washington. The lefty-hitting son of baseballs "Iron Man" batted .321 with one homer and 24 RBIs in 42 games this season after transferring from South Carolina, where he did not make the roster and redshirted. "I think theres immense pressure on that young man," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Its too bad, but I think he handles it really well. You know, dad, uncle, grandfather, great bloodlines, great work ethic." Mariano Rivera III, a starting pitcher at Iona College, went to the Yankees -- his fathers old team -- in the 29th round. He went 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA and five complete games and a team-leading 50 strikeouts in 70 innings for the Gaels. Yankees manager Joe Girardi asked his former closer for a scouting report on his son. "Mo wasnt sure if he got drafted what he would do," Girardi said before the Yankees played the Royals in Kansas City. "But I think its neat he got drafted by the Yankees and well see what happens." It was a big draft for sons and siblings of major league players, starting with Florida high school shortstop Nick Gordon -- son of Tom "Flash" Gordon and brother of the Dodgers Dee Gordon -- going fifth overall to Minnesota on Thursday night. Brandon Bonilla, a left-handed pitcher from Grand Canyon University, went in the 25th round to Baltimore. The son of former All-Star Bobby Bonilla and godson of Barry Bonds has a fastball that hits the mid-90s. Brown second baseman J.J. Franco, the son of former Mets and Reds closer John Franco, was a 38th-round pick by the Braves. Florida high school lefty Logan Browning went in the 36th round to the Reds, the team for which father Tom once pitched a perfect game. Benito Santiago Jr. is a star behind the plate, just like his dad, was drafted in the 38th round by San Francisco. He was a batterymate of first-rounder Touki Toussaint at Floridas Coral Springs Christian Academy. Florida high school first baseman Magglio Ordonez Jr. went in the 38th round to Detroit, where his father played for seven years. Bradley Wilpon, the son of Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, was a 36th-round choice of Boston. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flaccos younger brother Tom, a high school outfielder from New Jersey, was a 32nd-round selection of Philadelphia. Several other players with big-league bloodlines were drafted Saturday, including: Drew Stankiewicz (son of Andy, 11th round, Phillies); Kevin Cron (brother of Angels C.J., 14th round, Diamondbacks); Lukas Schiraldi (son of Calvin, 15th round, Mariners); Jed Sprague (son of Ed, 37th round, White Sox); James Lynch (son of Ed, 39th round, Blue Jays); and Grayson Byrd (son of Paul, 39th round, Braves). Houston, which had the first overall pick for the third straight year, took California high school lefty Brady Aiken at No. 1 on Thursday night. Custom Baseball Jerseys . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. https://www.fakebaseballjerseys.com/ . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup. Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys . Left-handed reliever Boone Logan agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract on Friday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. Nike Baseball Jerseys China .com) - The Calgary Flames were again involved in a game in which a team was held scoreless, only this time they came out on the winning side.DENVER -- Each time Michael Cuddyer really tried to sprint in the outfield grass to fully assess his strained left hamstring, he felt like it was about to give out. Not worth a risk. Not this early in the season. The Colorado Rockies outfielder went on the 15-day disabled list Monday, a move retroactive to Friday. To take his place on the roster, the Rockies recalled infielder Charlie Culberson from Triple-A Colorado Springs. "Extremely frustrating," Cuddyer said of his balky hamstring, something hes never experienced before in his career. "This is nagging more than anything else." The reigning NL batting champion estimates he can run at about 70 per cent before the hamstring begins to act up. "Obviously, you cant play like that," he said. "I dont know how long its going to take." Cuddyer is off to another hot start at the plate, too, hitting .317 with three homers and 10 RBIs. With Cuddyer sidelined, the Rockies will platoon players in right, with Charlie Blackmon starting Monday against the San Francisco Giants. Depth in the outfield is certainly something the Rockies have an abundance of this season. "Cuddy is one of the better players on this team. More than even on this team, in this game," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "Its definitely going to make an impact. But were deep enough; were going to be OK. "And when we get him back, its going to be that much more of a complement to our lineup, to have such a good player. You know youre going to go through the season and people are going to have injuries. Hopeefully, we get him back sooner rather than later.dddddddddddd." Cuddyer spent some time on the DL last May with a bulging disk in his neck. He hit .331 to become the sixth Rockies player to lead the league in batting. "Give him a couple of weeks to heal up and hopefully hell be ready to go at that point," manager Walt Weiss said. All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was back in the lineup a day after leaving the game with tendinitis in his left knee. He said the pain flares up from time to time, especially when he takes a bad step out of the batters box like he did Sunday against Philadelphia. "I try to play my best with what I have right now," said Gonzalez, who texted his manager Sunday night to say he would be good to go against the Giants. "Its always going to be that way. Youre always going to have to deal with pain. You have to understand your body and understand what you can do. Im trying to go out there with no limits. "Im not going to think about the knee, try to run as fast as I can and make every play I can make. Its something we have to manage." Closely, too. "Just check in with him on a daily basis," Weiss said. "Well certainly keep an eye on him." Colorado may be moving closer to getting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin back from a strained shoulder. The hard-throwing righty is scheduled to make another minor league injury rehabilitation start Friday for the Sky Sox and is to throw about 80 pitches. He was eligible to be reinstated April 5. "I feel good," Chacin said. "Really good." ' ' '