Forennews » he bye week. Manziel isnt the first prom

CLEVELAND -- On his way out to the field for pregame batting practice, Jason Kipnis hung a hard right in the Indians clubhouse to give Jason Giambi a big hug. "Great to see you," Kipnis told Clevelands respected designated hitter. "You, too, little brother," Giambi said. Big G is back with the Indians. Almost. Sidelined since spring training by a fractured rib, Giambi has been cleared to play and is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list Monday, when the Indians open a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals. The 43-year-old recently played in several games in a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Akron, a stop that helped his swing and also brought back memories of his path to the big leagues. "Sometimes you forget the grind," Giambi said. "Its been 20 years since I was a minor leaguer." While he was with the Aeros, Giambi and teammate Michael Bourn, who was with him to rehab a strained hamstring, treated the minor leaguers to several meals and found themselves serving up advice to some of the youngsters in Clevelands system. It comes naturally to Giambi, who is still playing but may one day try his hand at managing. He was a finalist for Colorados opening before signing with the Indians before last season. "Id like to, but the universe will determine that, not me," Giambi said with a laugh at his locker. "I love the nuances of the game and being a part of that. Ive played for some of the greatest managers in the game, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre and Tito (Terry Francona) and Jim Tracy." Giambi said hes ready to play, but the Indians will wait until after the weekend. Giambi took batting practice before Fridays series opener against Toronto and looked to be himself while launching several home runs into the right-field seats. The Indians have opened 7-8 without Giambi, and Francona said his presence has been missed inside the clubhouse, dugout and on the field. "Guys know hes there," Francona said. "Shoot, I know hes there. Because G is never going to back down from anybody and that doesnt mean you have to fight or anything. But its a nice teammates to have around. He can be a settling influence. He can kick somebody in the pants. Hes a great guy to have around. "Believe me, I wouldnt say all these things if they werent true. This is how I feel." Giambi injured his rib during spring training and was placed on the DL on March 30. While he batted just .183 last season, he hit nine homers and drove in 31 runs in 186 at-bats. Giambi also provided perhaps the seasons signature moment, when he belted a pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning to beat Chicago on Sept. 24. The homer helped propel the Indians to their first playoff appearance since 2007. While some fans look only at Giambis statistics and wonder why the Indians would dedicate a roster spot to an aging, situational hitter, Francona says Giambis impact goes way beyond numbers. "G can change the game in the batters box," Francona said. "Hes not here to hit .300, that would be great. But hes here to change the game with one of his swings and he has the ability to do that." soccer jerseys china .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard. wholesale cheap nfl jerseys china outlet . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. Getting Creative The Pittsburgh Penguins will try their best to acquire Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks before the Trade Deadline. http://www.cheapauthenticsoccerjerseys.com/. No, really, his head. Late in the game, the St. Louis goalie craned his neck into the air to block a shot, taking a puck square in the mask. authentic soccer jerseys sale . Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture. cheap jerseys free shipping . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. By releasing Bailey, the Broncos would open up cap space with the 12-time Pro Bowl player scheduled to make around $10 million next season.BEREA, Ohio - On one knee and far from the action, quarterback Johnny Manziel leaned on his orange helmet and watched. This is his new position. As Browns starter Brian Hoyer worked with Clevelands first-team offence during 11-on-11 drills Thursday, Manziel, for now relegated to the second string, observed from the side. He took mental notes as he waited for his turn. This rookie has been no sensation. Hes not ready to start. Meet Johnny Backup. Failing to make any magic happen in his first two NFL preseason games and unable to close the gap enough to beat out Hoyer, Manziel will begin the season as Clevelands No. 2 quarterback, matching his uniform number. Its not a major surprise given hes had to learn a complex offence and he entered training camp behind Hoyer. But Manziels inability to leap-frog Hoyer, a journeyman who has made four career starts and is coming off knee surgery, shows the jump from college to pros is gargantuan — even for Johnny Football. "Obviously I didnt want this to be the outcome," Manziel said. "But at the same time, I didnt necessarily feel I was ready, I felt like there were steps that I needed to take, and I need to take, to get better." Manziel has shown flashes, just not enough. Still, the Browns have seen promise in him, and Manziels immense fan base now has members inside Clevelands locker room. "We got arguably the best No. 2 in the NFL," said wide receiver Nate Burleson. "Im a Johnny Football fan. Not only was I a fan before he got here, but now hes family because we play for the same team. Ill always be in his corner." Manziel has improved in recent weeks. Hes got a much better grasp on offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahans playbook and its tongue-twisting verbiage; some plays contain 17 words. Hes made better decisions with the ball, and hes won over some skeptical teammates with a solid work ethic and humble attitude. Trouble is, Manziel may have damaged his chances to win the starting job before camp with his well-documented partying. The photos of Manziel chugging champagne while floating on an inflatable swan, talking into a phone made of money, and rolling a dollar bill in a bathroom brought him unwanted attention. The Browns were privately concerned about Manziels behaviour and warned him about it. He obliged, but had two recent missteps: being late for a team meeting and flipping his middle finger at the Redskins sideline Monday night on national TV..dddddddddddd The gesture, relatively harmless compared to other things than go on during a game, may have reinforced the belief of coach Mike Pettine and his staff that Manziel wasnt prepared mentally or physically to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 7. Sitting and waiting is nothing new for Manziel. He was so far behind when he got to Texas A&M that the Aggies redshirted him as a freshman. It wasnt long, though, before he was the big man on campus and quickly the biggest name in college football, a one-man scrambling highlights machine. Manziel, who has completed 14 of 27 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, said nothing has surprised him so far. "Its exactly what I thought it would be," he said. "I knew it would be a big step, a big learning process. If people would have seen me my first year at A&M they wouldve said no way this kid could get to where Im at today. People dont understand that my first year-and-a-half at A&M I was terrible. "I just continued to try and get better, learn the playbook, got more comfortable around everybody, around the coaches with the system, and then good things happened for me." Pettine said there wont be a "leash" on Hoyer, who will get an opportunity to take the job and run with it. But the Browns difficult early schedule — theyll host New Orleans and Baltimore after facing the Steelers — could make things interesting if theyre 0-3 or 1-2 at the bye week. Manziel isnt the first prominent rookie to take a back seat in Year 1. Hell find his path, and knowing Manziel, it wont be a straight one. "You dont have to come in from your first day of your rookie season and play right away," he said. "Theres no exact guideline to how this process works with young quarterbacks. For me, I need to continue to do what I need to do to get better as a football player, get smarter and learn more, control what I can control and everything will work out fine for me." NOTES: Pettine plans to play his starters most of the first half against St. Louis on Saturday. Pettine is also leaning toward his starters playing in the exhibition finale against Chicago. ... Pettine said WR Josh Gordons pending NFL suspension has weighed on the Pro Bowler. "He wants to get on with it and move forward," Pettine said. "Just being in limbo for so long, it can be draining." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '