Join us » capping it with a 25-foot three-pointer. The

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Major league teams will each have at least five games this spring where managers can challenge plays as part of the major expansion of instant replay which begins this season. Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez is looking forward to getting acquainted with it. "Those five games that we have the actual television, Im challenging everything just to get a feel for it," he said. "Im sure that the umpires will appreciate that." Gonzalez, Houston manager Bo Porter, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and Nationals manager Matt Williams met with MLB executives Joe Torre and Tony La Russa for almost three hours Friday to go over the replay rules. The new rules allow each manager to challenge one call a game. If he wins the first one, hell earn another challenge. The crew chief can request a review after the seventh inning if the manager has used his challenges. Baseball has been reluctant to use replay and became the last major professional sport in North America to implement it late in the 2008 season. But it was very narrowly used — only close home runs could be reviewed. Now almost every call can be contested, with the exception of ball-and-strikes and checked swings. They also wont allow reviews of what is known as the "neighbourhood play" at second base on potential double plays. Gonzalez and Porter both acknowledged that the meeting was rather long, but they didnt mind. "Its historic for our sport," Gonzalez said. "Its never been done so we want to do it right." Porter agreed and said he left the meeting feeling very comfortable with the rules. "It was necessary," he said. "I thought that they did a tremendous job of putting the information together and giving us scenarios. It was long, but it was very much needed and very beneficial at the same time." The reviews during the regular season will be done by current MLB umpires at the replay centre in MLB.coms office in New York. Gonzalez said there will be eight umpires who will each be responsible for two games at a time. And as for people who worry that this will further slow a game that some people complain already takes too long, Gonzalez doesnt believe that will be the case. "As soon as they see something going on, they can go right to that play," he said. "They feel like theyll have an answer when the umpire comes to the headphones ... and theres no delay." Concerns about managers using replay challenges to buy time to warm-up a pitcher are probably unwarranted, Ausmus said. "It doesnt sound like theres going to be a lot of time," he said. The manager or other team officials in the dugout can talk with someone in the clubhouse watching a live feed of the game with replays available to help determine if the manager should challenge a call. Porter said he and his staff will work on how theyll decide whether to challenge plays all spring, not just in the games where instant replay is used. "Its more of getting into the practice and getting into the language you want to have transmitted during a close play and I think we can simulate it this spring," he said. Though hes certainly going to prepare to use instant replay, Gonzalez is not too sure how much hell actually use it in the season. "If you believe the numbers that they throw at you, we may go four or five games without even throwing a challenge," he said. "I believe, without having any kind of numbers behind it that this is going to show how good our major league umpires are." Fake Athletics Jerseys . Louis against the Blues. The Canucks picked up their second straight victory in the swings opener on Tuesday in Calgary before getting routed in Minnesota last night, 5-1. Cheap Athletics Jerseys . It is unclear how long Kallstrom, who was brought in to alleviate the teams midfield problems, will be sidelined. Arsenals communications director, Mark Gonnella, says the club decided to proceed with Kallstroms signing despite the injury. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/115m-chris-bassitt-jersey-athletics.html . The Twins announced Thursday the 28-year-old Albers cleared waivers. He will join the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey .C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen. Oakland Athletics Pro Shop . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. TORONTO -- It was a game Dwane Casey figures the Toronto Raptors lose two months ago. Reeling from an 18-3 run by the Brooklyn Nets to start the second half, Toronto was down 10 points against a team looking to win its season-high sixth straight game. But rather than rollover, the Raptors fought back, showed what their head coach called newfound "mental toughness" and coasted to a comfortable 96-80 victory before a sellout crowd of 19,800 at Air Canada Centre. "I think our guys showed mental toughness and won a slug out game which I dont know if we could have won a few months ago, no less last year," Casey said of the Raptors second straight win, which gave them a four-game lead over the Nets atop the NBAs Atlantic Division. "Its a testament to our guys mental growth and mental toughness to win a game like that." After Brooklyn built its biggest lead of the night at 10 points at the midway mark of the third quarter, the Raptors went on a 28-5 run over the next 10:33 to secure their seventh win in their last nine games. After 35 games, the Raptors are 18-17. At this point last season, Toronto was 13-22. "Guys are growing up," Casey said when asked to explain the difference in the Raptors this season from last. "Theyre getting tired of me preaching physicality, dont get knocked down in a street fight." Leading the way for the Raptors was DeMar DeRozan, who poured in a game-high 26 points. Terrence Ross added 14 points for the Raptors while Patrick Patterson had 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Raptors took a 47-42 lead into the halftime break on the strength of 11 first-half points from Ross, who hit half of Torontos six three-pointers in the opening 24 minutes. Torontoo, which shot an anaemic 38.dddddddddddd6 per cent from the field in the first half, led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter but the Nets continued to fight back. But then the visitors took over the game -- and silenced the boisterous crowd celebrating Drake Night in honour of the hometown rapper and Raptors global ambassador -- before Toronto regained control. After Brooklyns Shaun Livingston hit a six-foot jump shot to restore the Nets 10-point lead with 4:54 to go in the quarter, the Raptors scored 16 of the final 18 points to close it out. DeRozan scored the final seven points of the third quarter, capping it with a 25-foot three-pointer. The Raptors then went on a 10-1 run to open the fourth quarter and put the game away. "We stayed patient. We knew they were going to make a run, especially in the second half," DeRozan said. "We stayed disciplined, understood we had to get stops, rebound the ball and push it. "If Ive got to step up to win, Im going to do as much as I can." In addition to praising the "big time" performance by DeRozan, Casey also lauded the contributions of Patterson and John Salmons -- who came over as part of the trade for Rudy Gay -- to the teams toughness. The Raptors win ended a five-game win streak for Brooklyn (15-22). "Well, it was an important game," said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who had 12 points. "Every game we play is important. We cant take any game for granted. "It was really important with them being a divisional team and them playing really well now. We needed to get this win for our confidence." The Raptors close out their three-game homestand against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. ' ' '