Kritik und Anregungen » omers and 86 RBI in 2

BALTIMORE -- Rosie Napravniks motivation for winning the Preakness has little to do with making history. With a victory aboard Mylute on Saturday, Napravnik would become the first female jockey to capture the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. More importantly to her, though, it would serve as a triumphant return to Pimlico Race Course, where she launched her outstanding career. "You know what? It would be a great accomplishment, but thats not the reason I want to win it, because no other woman has won it before," Napravnik said in a telephone interview. "I just want to win it for my own sense of accomplishment and for all the people who have been rooting for me since the very beginning. It would be unbelievable to win the race, and I really believe we have a good shot." Napravnik, 25, finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby on Mylute, the best performance ever by a female rider in the sports most esteemed event. "The Derby was a great race," she said. "I mean, he just did everything right. He was a little farther back than I wanted to be, but thats just sort of his running style. He ran an excellent race, made a huge move around the turn down the lane, basically followed (first-place finisher) Orb the whole way. It was the kind of race that he will really move forward from." If theres such a thing as home-track advantage, Napravnik will have it in the Preakness. Her first career win came at Pimlico in 2005, aboard her first-ever mount, Ringofdiamonds, just days after finishing her junior year of high school. One year later, Napravnik swept the rider standings at all four meets at Pimlico. And now shes running in the Preakness, where she will become the third female rider to have a mount, joining Patti Cooksey (sixth aboard Tajawa in 1985) and Andrea Seefeldt (seventh with Looming in 1994). "Its always an advantage if you know a track well," Napravnik said. "I won a lot of races at Pimlico and I like the track. I know the track like the back of my hand, and I appreciate that fact." She can only hope that will be of use against Orb on Saturday. "Whether we can win the race or not, its still to be seen. Its going to be a tough race and Orb is definitely going to be tough to beat," she said. "Either way, Id have to say it will be one of my proudest moments." Thats saying something, because Napravnik has accomplished much since trainer Dickie Smalls sent her out on her first mount on that memorable June afternoon in 2005. Last year, Napravnik won 193 races. Along the way, she became only the second female rider in history to win a Breeders Cup race and the first woman in the 138-year history of the Kentucky Oaks to reach the winners circle. Her career has provided her many rewards and more a few broken bones. She has fractured her collarbone, wrist and leg, but none of that has stopped her from getting back in the saddle. "Ive always been impressed with not only her riding skills, but her competitiveness," said Org trainer Shug McGaughey, who has employed Napravnik in the past. "She wants to be a great jock, shes very, very confident of herself, and when youve got her, youve got a great addition." Its been eight years since her first ride at Pimlico, and Napravnik cant wait for the next one. "If I think about all the places Ive been and the things Ive done, wow, Ive accomplished a lot," she said. "But at the same time, it feels like it was just yesterday when I was galloping there when I was just 16. Time has flown by, but time flies when youre having fun, and I love what I do." Tyrann Mathieu Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Brian Waters Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. http://www.customchiefsjersey.com/custom-willie-roaf-jersey-large-1276n.html . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Len Dawson Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Mecole Hardman Jersey Large . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. WASHINGTON -- By the time Game 1 of the National League Division Series rolls around, Daniel Murphy will have gone three weeks without a start for the Washington Nationals.When the NL East champs host the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to get things started, one big question will be which team deals better with all the time off since the end of the regular season.Another will be how the Nationals fare without starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and slugging catcher Wilson Ramos, both sidelined by injuries (Strasburg for the series, Ramos for the season). And yet another will be how key players such as 2015 postseason star (while with the Mets) Murphy, 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper and franchise stalwart Ryan Zimmerman deal with nagging ailments.Almost everybody has something, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. So our training staff and everybody will be busy working on guys.After giving his players Monday off, Baker will gather them at Nationals Park on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for workouts. One benefit of waiting until Friday to start their postseason is the extra time for dealing with health issues.Murphy last started a game on Sept. 17, kept out by a strained glute muscle. Since then, he has had only three at-bats, including a flyout as a pinch hitter in Sundays regular-season finale. Baker says he expects to have Murphy in the lineup against the Dodgers.What does the player himself say?Its tough to guess whats going to happen on Friday on Sunday, Murphy said. But hopefully.His impact on the Nationals success -- the nearly wire-to-wire division title, the 95 wins, the home-field advantage in the NLDS -- cant be overstated.ddddddddddddA year ago, remember, Murphy starred for the Mets in October, homering in a record six consecutive postseason games and earning NLCS MVP honors. That helped him get a $37.5 million, three-year deal from Washington, with a salary of $8 million in 2016.All Murphy did was hit .347 with 25 homers, 47 doubles and 104 RBI -- all team highs -- and really carry the offense for much of what turned out to be a real down season for Harper.The youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history last season, Harper batted only .243 with 24 homers and 86 RBI in 2016. After hurting his left thumb on a slide in late September, he sat out four games, then returned to go 1 for 11 with eight strikeouts over the last three days of the regular season.Zimmerman, dealing with a bad calf, finished with career lows in batting average (.218), on-base percentage (.272) and slugging percentage (.370).Youve got to tighten up little things, because theres nothing you can about whats already here. You dont have Ramos. You dont have this guy; this guy might not be swinging well; this guy might not be healthy. Or whatever it is. I just have to manage around that. Its not easy. Id rather just have everybody healthy and just have a set lineup, and me just sit back. But Ive never had that. Thats never been the case. So I dont expect that, Baker said. I just burn the midnight oil sometimes and keep that pad by my bed, and when I get a thought, I go with it.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '