MESA, Ariz. [url=http://www.yankeesrookiestore.com/Yankees-Aaron-Judge-Kids-Jersey/] Aaron Judge Jersey[/url] . -- No matter what the record says, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein insists he sees progress as he begins his third season in charge. It hasnt shown at the major le

MESA, Ariz. Aaron Judge Jersey . -- No matter what the record says, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein insists he sees progress as he begins his third season in charge. It hasnt shown at the major league level. "The people that we have in place in this organization -- the coaches, scouts -- I believe are impact, and I believe in the processes that we have in place," Epstein said Thursday. "It takes time to turn our organization around. It takes time to build impact talent and to build requisite depth. But its happening. People in those meetings, the people in this organization, really believe that were on the verge of something special. And we understand that were perceived otherwise, and thats our fault because weve been a last-place club the last couple years. Were not protesting. We need to earn our way into a position where were championship contenders on an annual basis, and we feel like that is certainly moving in the right direction." It hasnt been an easy process, and while success might be on the horizon, it doesnt appear to be at hand. Pitchers and catchers reported on Thursday, and for the Cubs, it doesnt look like much will be different this season. They were relatively quiet in the off-season, although they did hire manager Rick Renteria to replace the fired Dale Sveum and made a run at star Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, but mostly it looks like they are in for more rough times at the major league level as they wait for their top prospects to develop in the minors. Their most recent winning season was when they went 83-78 under Lou Piniella in 2009. With four straight sub-.500 seasons, theyve matched their longest streak since 1984 to 1988. And another losing season would put them on their longest run since they finished below .500 six years in a row from 1978 to 1983. For now, the Cubs continue to sell hope, a promise that better days are coming. They tout their minor league system, and while renovations to Wrigley Field remain on hold, they can point to new facilities in the Dominican Republic along with a spring training home that just opened. As for the Cubs record, it cant get much worse. Theyve dropped 91 or more games each of the past three years and are coming off a two-year run under Sveum that produced a 127-197 record. Theyre hoping Renteria will provide the right atmosphere for young major league players such as shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo as well as top prospects Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Kris Bryant. They believe they have three solid starters in Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija and Edwin Jackson, although Jackson struggled last season and Samardzija is a potential trade chip after he was unable to reach a long-term agreement and took a one-year deal. Jake Arrieta, a candidate to start, might not be ready for the beginning of the season because of tightness in his right shoulder. General manager Jed Hoyer revealed Thursday that Arrieta, acquired from Baltimore last July, experienced some tightness this winter and is being brought along slowly. Hoyer announced Arrietas injury after confirming the Cubs agreed to one-year contracts with starting pitchers Jason Hammel and James McDonald. Both could be candidates to be traded before the deadline if they succeed, considering thats exactly what the Cubs did with Paul Maholm and Scott Feldman the past two seasons. "We know we have some numbers now," Hoyer said. They also have hope that better days are coming. "Theres a real dichotomy between how the organization is perceived from the outside and how we look at it internally and the morale that we have internally," Epstein said. NOTES: Renteria tabbed newcomer Jose Veras as the closer. ... Hoyer basically dismissed the idea of moving Castro to another position even though he and the White Soxs Alexei Ramirez led major league shortstops with 22 errors last season and Baez is in the pipeline. "Castros our shortstop," Hoyer said. "We have all the confidence in the world that hell remain our shortstop and hell keep working hard and keep improving. And he knows theres (room) to improve there." ... Hoyer said reliever Kyuji Fujikawa will soon start throwing off the mound. Hes coming off Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. ... Epstein said the Cubs will look to draft pitchers going forward, although not necessarily with their first pick. Mariano Rivera Jersey .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday. C.C. Sabathia Jersey . MLB.com reported that the Dodgers locked the left-hander in for one year at $10 million with up to $4 million in incentives. http://www.yankeesrookiestore.com/Yankees-Dellin-Betances-Kids-Jersey/ .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Blood on the stairs, walls and furniture, a cocked 9 mm pistol, bloody towels, fallen wall tiles. Like pieces of an unfinished puzzle, the photos of the blood-splattered interior of Oscar Pistorius home gave a fragmented picture Thursday of his girlfriends violent end. One of the first police officers to arrive at the scene testified at the athletes murder trial that he followed a "trail of blood" when he got there. Recounting what he saw in macabre detail, former police colonel G.S. van Rensburg said he traced spots and bigger blood marks downstairs where Reeva Steenkamp lay dead from three gunshot wounds, then followed them across the floor, up the stairs, through a small lounge area and into Pistorius bedroom. Ultimately, he reached the bathroom where the double-amputee Olympian shot his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentines Day last year. There, van Rensburg said he found Pistorius gun, its hammer back and safety off, lying on a mat. Nearby were spent bullet casings, cellphones and a blood-soaked towel, as well as the cricket bat Pistorius says he used to smash open the toilet door to get to the fatally wounded Steenkamp. In the toilet cubicle, a dark pool of blood was on the floor as well as wooden splinters from the broken door. The mat the gun lay on was clean, in glaring contrast to the blood stains all around it, head prosecutor Gerrie Nel noted. The 27-year-old Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of murder, and also faces three firearms charges. He has pleaded not guilty and says he shot the 29-year-old model by mistake, believing she was an intruder hiding in the toilet cubicle. Prosecutors charge he intentionally shot Steenkamp after an argument. Using the photos, the prosecution created a detailed picture of the scene. One showed a gun holster on the side of the bed where Pistorius says Steenkamp was sleeping that night. Wade Boggs Jersey. The size of the bedroom suggested Pistorius would have had to walk close to where he says he thought she was still sleeping to get to the bathroom. Pistorius mostly kept his head down, avoiding the TV monitors where the images were shown. The screen next to Pistorius was switched off before the exhibit began. Van Rensburg confirmed the photos reflected how he found the scene just before 4 a.m., about half an hour after prosecutors say Pistorius shot Steenkamp. The former police officer said he had been on duty for about 24 hours by then, dealing with other cases. The photos showed blood stains splattered on a white wall close to a group of trophies in the Paralympic champions home. Running on carbon-fiber blades, Pistorius medaled repeatedly at the Paralympic games and also competed at the London Olympics, but didnt win a medal. Photos of the bathroom showed broken wall tiles on the floor and a metal panel that had been damaged, apparently after being hit by a hard object. There was an air gun and a baseball bat near the door to Pistorius bedroom. Pictures of the bedroom showed a cabinet with multiple pairs of sunglasses and a blood-smeared box of watches, as well as blood stains on the carpets. Van Rensburg described how, on arriving at Pistorius house, he saw Steenkamps body near the entrance covered in towels and plastic bags that the daughter of the estate manager said she had used, with assistance from Pistorius, to try to stop the bleeding. Pistorius was pacing in the kitchen, van Rensburg said. "I asked him what happened but he didnt answer me," the former police officer said. "He was in tears." "We then followed the trail of blood up the stairs." Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '