Regeln » e Islanders, took a pass from Dany Heatley an

Whenever someone asks me to play general manager, wondering what position I would fill first in assembling a team from scratch, I invariably say shortstop, unless of course there is another Roberto Alomar on the horizon at second base. However, I decided to take a look at the 13 World Series since the turn of the century and what I saw may have changed my mind. Over those 13 years, eight catchers have shared those World Series rings and four have two apiece. Furthermore you could argue that four or five of those eight will be going to the Hall of Fame. Lets start with the Yankees Jorge Posada. He won the "Fall Classic" with the Yankees in 2000, (not his first) at age 28 and then won again in 2009 at age 37. Then there is the Red Sox former captain, and now front office stalwart, Jason Varitek. He won that historic “Curse of the Babe” ending 2004 World Series with Boston at age 32. Varitek won it again at 35 with Boston in 2007. Yadier Molina, the best catcher in the game right now, won his first with St. Louis in 2006 at 24. Then in 2011 he won his second at 29. Now at 31, hes into the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, with a decent shot at winning a third. Buster Posey of the Giants has had a remarkable career so far. He won the World Series in 2010 at 23 and, after missing a sizeable chunk of the following season, came back to win again in 2012. Molina already looks like a lock for the Hall of Fame, and Posey is right on that path. You can argue for and against Posada and Varitek, but I believe both will eventually get into Cooperstown. In 2003, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez won his World Series with the then Florida Marlins at age 31. The only thing that might keep Rodriguez out of the Hall of Fame, or at least delay his entry, are the allegations that he used steroids. If youre keeping count, thats nine of the last 13 World Series winners who had No. 1 catchers worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. Included in the other four is Yadier Molinas older brother Benji, who won with the Angels in 2002 at age 28. A third brother Jose, who later played with the Blue Jays and now suits up for Tampa Bay, was one of Benjis back-ups that year. The only one I really had trouble remembering was the Arizona Diamonbacks primary catcher in 2001 when they beat the Yankees. Damian Miller was 32 that year, and is probably the only one who might be termed a journeyman, at least compared to the rest. The other 2, oddly enough are going to be free agents after the World Series. A.J Pierzynski won with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, ending that franchises drought that dated back to 1917. He was 29 at the time. And Carlos Ruiz was part of the great run the Phillies had under Charlie Manuel and won his "Fall Classic” in 2008 at age 29. Ruiz has had shoulder issues and was suspended for PED use. Hell be 35 next season. The top two potential free agents in the off season are Bostons Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Atlantas Brian McCann. The Blue Jays must upgrade behind the plate in the wake of the horrible season J.P Arencibia had. McCann and Saltalamacchia are probably beyond their reach however Pierzynski and Ruiz would both offer a short-term fix and veteran stability. Pierzynski caught Mark Buehrle in 2005, and is known as a fierce competitor, while Ruiz has caught the likes of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. Travis DArnaud, didnt exactly make a major impact with the Mets after being dealt to New York in the R.A Dickey swap, but another catcher the Jays swapped this past off-season did make his mark. 26-year-old Yan Gomes was traded to Cleveland along with utility infielder Mike Aviles for right hander Esmil Rogers, who was plugged into the rotation when injuries took their toll again this season. Rogers effectively became the compensation for John Farrell moving on to manage Boston, since Aviles was part of that trade to Cleveland. Gomes though, was the real story of the deal. The Sao Paolo native was the first Brazilian to play in the Majors when he debuted with the Jays in 2012. He was viewed as more of a utility type who could catch, play third and DH, and hit with a bit of power. For Cleveland though he caught 85 games, and had a .996 fielding percentage. He also threw out 41% of those attempting to steal bases against him. Gomes hit .294 with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in. The Blue Jays may one day regret they dealt him away, if they dont already. Wholesale Jordan Shoes China . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted that its believed the Flames are working towards a new contract with the defenceman. Cheap Jordan Shoes From China . - The Pittsburgh Pirates plan on keeping promising left fielder Starling Marte playing alongside National League MVP Andrew McCutchen for years to come. http://www.cheapjordanfreeshipping.com/. In Englands first game since its worst-ever World Cup showing, Roy Hodgsons side rarely looked like scoring against unambitious opposition and the breakthrough in the friendly only came when Raheem Sterling was tripped in the penalty area. Cheap Jordans From China . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Cheap Jordans Free Shipping . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders. He was scoring goals, hearing cheers and chants of his name at Nassau Coliseum, and waving his stick to the crowd after being chosen as the games No. 1 star. And none of the fans decked out in orange and blue seemed to mind a bit that he was doing major damage against the home team while wearing a Minnesota Wild sweater. In his first game as an Islanders opponent since being dealt, Moulson scored two goals and had three points in the Wilds 6-0 rout of New York on Tuesday night. "I was pretty nervous. I dont think I slept a minute during pregame nap," Moulson said. "I was here for a long time. This team had a big place in my heart when I was here. The fans give great support. It was pretty emotional." Ilya Bryzgalov made 16 of his 36 saves in the first period when the Wild took a 2-0 lead. Minnesota made the most of 22 shots on a night coach Mike Yeo switched up his lines. "It some ways, you feel a little bit bad. You dont want to sit there and run up the score. Thats not the intention there," Yeo said. "(Moulson) is a guy that is obviously very, very well respected here. You see what the crowd is doing in a game like that. I thought that was very classy." Frustration was also noticeable in the crowd that is fed up with general manager Garth Snow, who not only traded Moulson, but this month also dealt Thomas Vanek -- the key player acquired when Moulson was sent to Buffalo. Moulson, like Vanek an impending free agent, was traded by Buffalo to Minnesota this month. He scored the first of the Wilds two goals in the opening period and their third in the final frame. "Anytime a trade happens or something when you switch teams, you have something to prove," Moulson said. "I had a lot of family and friends here so I made sure I didnt embarrass them." Wild forward Zach Parise will have a similar experience Thursday when the former Devils star plays in New Jersey for the first time since leaving as a free agent. "Its a little different situation. He got traded and I didnt," Parise said with a laugh. "I dont know how its going to be when I get there." Jared Spurgeon, a sixthh-round pick of the Islanders in the 2008 draft, made it 2-0.dddddddddddd. Mikael Granlund pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second, defenceman Clayton Stoner scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway in the third, and Justin Fontaine was credited with a goal after a video review to make it 5-0. Mikko Koivu had three assists to move past Marian Gaborik for the most points in Wild history with 438. Moulson closed the scoring with a power-play goal with 3:26 left. It was his 20th of the season and third in seven games with Minnesota. "I think the trade was pretty tough on him," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Ive seen him do what he did tonight many times." Bryzgalov earned his second shutout of the season and 32nd in the NHL. Anders Nilsson stopped 16 shots for New York, but couldnt match his fine performance of Saturday night when he beat Buffalo with a 33-save effort. Moulsons name was cheered when announced as part of the Wilds starting lineup, then he was feted with more applause when the Islanders thanked him on the video board. A louder roar went up when he scored his first goal 12:23 in. After his second, fans chanted "We want Moulson!" "I knew from playing against him here that he was a fan favourite," Parise said. "I dont think anyone expected the We Love Moulson cheers at the end, but it was nice to see him get a good reception." Spurgeon, a defenceman who never played for the Islanders, took a pass from Dany Heatley and one-timed a hard drive with 4:03 left in the first. Granlunds seventh of the season, gave the Wild a three-goal edge with 3:58 remaining in the second. Fontaines 13th goal zipped in and out of the net 7:06 into the third, but play continued for over a minute before a video review took place. Moulson and Koivu earned assists. NOTES: New York D Brian Strait broke his left hand while blocking a shot in the second period. ... Moulson, who began his NHL career with Los Angeles, has three goals in two career games vs. New York. He had 118 goals and 105 assists in 304 games with the Islanders. ... Islanders D Kevin Czuczman made his NHL debut. ... The Wild were whistled for penalties for the first time in three games. ' ' '