Dein erstes Forum » st in a four-game stretch since Cooper

Ive?waited my whole life for a Chicago Cubs World Series win. (Lets be honest, with the exception of a few Guinness World Record holders, who hasnt?)?Ive?dreamed about what it would be like to see them win it all.?On Monday, the team made a move that brings a championship that much closer to the north side of Chicago, sending four players, including top prospect Gleyber Torres, to the Yankees in exchange for closer Aroldis Chapman.Chapman is a superstar who fills an immediate need for the first-place Cubs, who are ranked 14th in baseball in bullpen ERA (3.83) and 22nd in save percentage (65.5 percent) this season. He could very well?be the final piece needed to end the longest championship drought in major pro sports history. You can understand why so many Cubs fans rejoiced at the news.But not all of Chicago was celebrating. Many, like me, dreaded the deal going through. Yes, Chapman is the man with the 105 mph fastball. Hes also the man who missed the first 30 games of the season after being suspended under MLBs domestic violence policy. Hes the man who denied choking his girlfriend in October, but did admit to shooting eight bullets into his garage while the mother of his child hid in the bushes, terrified.No charges were?filed?against Chapman -- the?Davie (Florida) Police Department cited?conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from witnesses -- but MLB investigated, too,?and?commissioner?Rob Manfred?found?Chapmans behavior to be inappropriate under the negotiated policy, particularly his use of a firearm and the impact of that behavior on his partner.After serving his suspension, Chapman described the night with the gun and the 911 call and the alleged choking as nothing serious. I didnt do anything, he said. People are thinking that its something serious; I have not put my hands on anyone, didnt put anyone in danger. Since I didnt do anything like that, Im not thinking about it. If I didnt do anything, why should I think about it? That is in the past.An alleged assault, a terrified loved one and a confirmed eight bullets shot in a garage, one of which flew through a window into an open field. Not serious? Not dangerous? Its a troubling denial of culpability.Now, just nine months after the incident in question, and two months after Chapmans flippant remarks, a new fan base is being asked to embrace him, to give him a second chance.Some fans may never be comfortable with an athlete accused or convicted of abuse being afforded the privilege of representing a team and a city in professional?sports, but?many would accept giving an athlete a second chance if they felt certain that something had been learned and changes had been made. Not all athletes are going to be good guys,?but people shouldnt have to feel guilty about their fandom as an accepted cost of doing business.Ive written before about?why many domestic violence experts believe one -and -done isnt the best policy, and I agree. Players like?Chapman should not be banned from the league forever, but discipline is necessary, and it must not be for the sake of PR. It must be meted out with the end goal of changing behavior.Those experts say the most important factor in avoiding recidivism is the offenders willingness to acknowledge guilt and take accountability for his or her actions. Baseball is on the right track, putting in place a domestic violence policy that includes education and prevention programs. The next step would be to ensure that these elements of the policy are made clear to fans, so?theyre able to see that real efforts are being made to stop the cycle of violence.For now, Chicago fans will get no real assurance that Chapman has learned or changed, other than a brief statement released?on Monday.?After acknowledging Octobers incident in a statement saying, I?regret that I did not exercise better judgment and for that I am truly sorry, Chapman declared, Out of respect for my family, I will not comment any further on this matter.?Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts?said, My?family, this team and Major League?Baseball take?the issue of domestic violence very seriously.Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein went one step further in acknowledging what comes next for Chapman. [Acquiring Chapman] doesnt mean were turning our back on the importance of character at all, Epstein told the media on Monday. I think because weve emphasized character and building this core that we have, we have a tremendously strong clubhouse culture. We have great character down there. We think that it will help Aroldis as he moves forward.So troubled Cubs fans are left hoping Epstein is right, hoping that Chapman arrives a changed man and thrives in the Chicago clubhouse. Well get no further comment on the matter from Chapman, himself. Just blazing fastballs. Fastballs that will assuredly help the team I love. Fastballs that could be the difference come October.Whenever I picture what it will be like when the Cubs win it all, I see a mass of humans of all shapes and sizes and ages hugging in the Wrigley Field bleachers and grandstands. I see fans crying over Ronnie and Ernie, grandpas and grandmas and everyone else who didnt make it quite long enough. I see bleacher bums and ball hawks refusing to leave the park or the bar or the street until the last song has been sung, the last champagne bottle popped, the last memory made.When the Chapman deal was finalized, my daydreaming got an edit. Now, I have to picture Chapman pitching the final out of the World Series. The guys Ive come to love -- Rizzo, Bryant, Fowler, Ross, Arrieta -- piling on Chapman on the mound. Chapman on the front page of every newspaper in the country. Chapman, the lasting image of the victory. Chapman, the hero.Its not the picture I always dreamed of.Dante Fabbro Predators Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Custom Nashville Predators Jerseys . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Kyle-turris-predators-jersey/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Filip Forsberg Predators Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Ryan Johansen Predators Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds.TAMPA, Fla. -- The Lightning return home licking the wounds of a winless three-game road trip, faced with the task of facing a frustrated Washington Capitals squad on Saturday.Tampa Bay enters Saturdays meeting having lost four consecutive games and has allowed four or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time under head coach Jon Cooper.The Capitals are coming off back-to-back regulation losses for the second time this season after being shut out by the New York Islanders on Thursday.For the Capitals, facing a Lightning team struggling to keep the puck out of the net might seem to be the right remedy for an offense that has scored two goals in the past two games and for a power play that went 0-for-6 against New York, five coming when the game was scorless.Well just keep trying, Washington head coach Barry Trotz told NHL.com. Well maybe look for some tip plays. Well look for that type of thing if theyre going to get in the lanes. Were going to have to adjust, no question.Some of those adjustments were made ahead of Saturdays game as John Carlsson and Marcus Johansson moved back up to the first power play unit, Evgeny Kuznetsov was dropped to the second unit while former 2014 first-round draft pick Jakub Vrana, who made his NHL debut on Thursday, worked with the second power play unit, according to the Washington Post.Sometimes I think when you dont have the results that youre looking for and youre used to having good success, which this group is, maybe you start trying to pick the corner a little bit too much rather than shooting for the second opportunity, ddefenseman Matt Niskanen told NHL.ddddddddddddcom. Weve been talking about a few things and well keep at it here.The Capitals remain without forward T.J. Oshie, who is out with a shoulder injury. Though he took part in practice on Friday, Oshie did not travel with the team to Tampa and will miss his sixth consecutive game. Paul Carrey, who was recalled from AHL Hershey on Wednesday but missed the game due to illness, is expected to be in the lineup against the Lightning.Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is looking to solve its defensive zone issues that have crept in to its game during the four-game slide while the penalty kill allowed three goals to St. Louis.The 19 goals allowed by the Lightning are the most in a four-game stretch since Cooper took over behind the bench. Tampa Bay has also allowed four-or-more goals in four consecutive games since Feb. 7-14, 2013, a month before Cooper took over for Guy Boucher.I know people are frustrated with us but were more frustrated than anybody, center Tyler Johnson said. We expect more of ourselves. We expect to win. Weve got to do the little things to do that.Tampa Bay showed signs of snapping out of it in Thursdays loss at the Blues despite the setback. The Lightning fell behind 2-0, 4-1 and 5-3 to pull to within a goal on three occasions.I thought we played well enough to get points, and thats kind of how you come out of these things, Cooper said. Sometimes you dont get the points, and maybe next game we will. ' ' '