" Murphy followed Eric Youngs leadoff double with a two

TORONTO - Second chances are rare in life, let alone in the NBA. Yasmani Grandal Jersey . The Raptors are confident that newly re-acquired forward James Johnson will take advantage of his. In a surprising roster move early Thursday morning, Toronto finalized an agreement to bring back the 27-year-old free agent at a reported $5 million, fully guaranteed, over the next two years. Toronto first acquired Johnson from the Bulls in exchange for a first-round pick (which was used on Heat point guard Norris Cole) during the 2010-11 season. The following campaign was a turbulent one for Johnson as he butted heads with new head coach Dwane Casey over his role in the teams offence, ultimately leading to a late-season benching. That summer, the Raptors flipped Johnson to Sacramento for a second-rounder (used on UConn product DeAndre Daniels last month). He played briefly for the Kings and spent the start of the 2013-14 campaign in the D-League before joining the Memphis Grizzlies and reviving his career, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 52 contests last season. Now, with a winning environment in place and a need at the small forward position, one that Johnson addresses, Casey and the Raptors have put the past behind them, believing the five-year vet will do the same. Having met with Casey, the Raptors are convinced Johnson has matured and recognizes the importance of this opportunity. It could be his last shot. "The number one thing with James, and weve had long discussions about that, is his role," Casey told reporters in Las Vegas, where his team is practicing ahead of their upcoming Summer League tournament. "He understands that now, which is great. In this business, theres never a person who youll say, Hey, Ill never coach that guy [again]." "Hes had his issues in the past," general manager Masai Ujiri reiterated, "but havent we all? We will help him get over them and this is a good opportunity for him. He has to take advantage of it." Newly re-signed point guard Kyle Lowry is a good example of what one can accomplish given the chance to redeem themselves. Lowry clashed with Casey over playing time and philosophy during his subpar first season with Toronto before breaking out in a more defined role last year. "I think hes grown up," Lowry said of Johnson Thursday morning. "You get to the certain point, even myself, you get a maturity level that, it comes with age. I think hes going to be able to understand, listen, Im a lot older, Im more understanding of life and coach isnt going to make me this or make me that. At the end of the day, youre playing for the players, your teammates and the organization. I think coaching him will be fine. They will get along well." Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, a good friend of Johnson, were advocates of bringing him on board. Johnson - a big, versatile, defensive-minded forward - is the type of player the Raptors had been clamouring for and could alleviate some of the pressure from DeRozan and Terrence Ross, who were exposed by Joe Johnson and the Nets wings during their first-round playoff loss. Johnson, as you may recall, is a second-degree black belt, undefeated in seven MMA fights and 20 kickboxing matches. With a 6-foot-9, 245-pound frame, hes sure to strike fear in the eyes of the leagues top perimeter players, assuming he buys into his role as a defensive stopper. When Dave Joerger, Johnsons former coach in Memphis, was asked about the forwards reputation for occasionally trying to do too much on the offensive end, he joked, "I just let him do too much." "I just say, Go, wreck it," Joerger had told TSN.ca back in December. "I think hes changed his body. I think that hes able to sidestep guys, hes able to get by guys with his first and second step and then gather and finish around the rim, where I think maybe earlier in his career - carrying a little bit more weight - he wouldnt get past the first defender. I just think hes a lot quicker." The Wake Forest product appeared in 87 games as a Raptor, starting 51, over parts of two seasons, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. Kenta Maeda Jersey . Hoffman, the former star closer, will evaluate and help co-ordinate all pitchers at Double-A, Triple-A and the big league team. Byrnes says Hoffman "will be a key part of finishing the development of our younger pitchers. Kirk Gibson Jersey . But that changed when he committed a five-minute major penalty and helped pave the way for a comeback by the Philadelphia Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory on Sunday. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Customized/ . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively.WASHINGTON -- Jayson Werth helped get the Washington Nationals a little bit closer in the wild-card race. Werths two-out RBI double in the eighth inning capped a late rally and the Nationals avoided a series sweep with a 6-5 win over the New York Mets on Sunday night. The Nationals trailed 5-2 in the seventh, but scored once in that inning on Wilson Ramos run-scoring single and added three in the eighth. The victory moved Washington within 6 1/2 games of Cincinnati for the final National League wild-card berth. The Reds lost at Colorado 7-4 on Sunday. "Were stoked," said Bryce Harper, who reached base three times and contributed during the rally. "I was fired up, unbelievably fired up when (Werth) hit that double. ... Hes been in that situation so many times in his career. That was just an unbelievable moment." Not so much for the Mets bullpen as reliever Gonzalez Germen (1-2) allowed one run after Scott Rice gave up two in the eighth. "Anytime you can win a series, its big," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "This time of the year, youve got to win as many as you can. "Certainly, this is one were going to look back on and kick ourselves a little bit for letting it get away. But yeah, winning a series is big." Rice entered in the eighth with the Mets leading 5-3. New Yorks third pitcher, Rice allowed consecutive singles including Denard Spans pinch-hit single which extended the outfielders hitting streak to 15 games. After Harper sacrificed the runners to second and third, Scott Hairston scored on Anthony Rendons groundout and Span came around on Ryan Zimmermans infield single. Werths second double of the game found the right-centre gap for one of Washingtons 16 hits, scoring Zimmerman from first base. "He had the most unbelievable BP today," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said of Werth. "Hes been swinging the bat good. Hes driven." Because the Nationals drove in those late runs, they wont be lugging a losing skid with them to their next series. Johnson: "I cant sleep as it is. ... Id have nightmares riding on the bus to Philly. There is a lot of baseball left. We just have to keep chugging away one game at a time." Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before the game, reliever Erik Davis (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth. "It was exciting to get in there on my first day back," Davis said. "I was just happy to get out there and put up a zero. It was an awesome comeback by us." Rafael Soriano, Washingtons sixth pitcher, finished the Mets off in the ninth for his 36th save. Kenley Jansen Jersey. . Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda each drove in two runs, and Matt de Dekker smacked his first career home run for the Mets. New York last swept a series from Washington May 25-27, 2009. Murphys hot hitting stretch continued with an RBI double in the first inning and a two-out run-scoring single in the fifth against Ross Ohlendorf. The second baseman has 11 hits in his past 19 at-bats. New York had 30 hits during the past two games. Mets starter Jonathon Niese never had a 1-2-3 inning, but the Nationals managed only single runs in the second and fourth against him. He allowed two runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings before leaving with a left leg cramp. "Its that kind of year," Niese said of New Yorks string of injuries, including first baseman Ike Davis on Saturday. "Today was tough, it was so humid. I was crushing Gatorades and water, and still cramping up." Scott Atchison replaced Niese with two outs in the sixth and stranded two inherited runners. Ramos RBI single against Atchison in the seventh made it 5-3. "We finally got some hits with runners out there," Johnson said. "It took a while." Murphy followed Eric Youngs leadoff double with a two-base hit for New Yorks first run and scored one out later on Dudas single. Another RBI single from Duda, who started for Davis, made it 5-2 in the seventh. New York went ahead 3-0 as de Dekkers first major league home run landed in the second deck of the right-centre field stands. Ohlendorf pitched five innings, allowing four runs and nine hits. He had a 2.82 ERA in four previous starts this season. Notes: Zimmerman had three hits. ...The Mets, with their rotation depleted by injuries, have signed RHP Aaron Harang to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. Harang was 5-11 with a 5.76 ERA in 22 starts this year for the Seattle Mariners. Overall, he has pitched 12 years in the majors, going 110-115 with a 4.29 ERA. ... The Mets also called up three players, including RHP Vic Black, who was acquired on Aug. 27 from the Pirates in a deal that sent OF Marlon Byrd and C John Buck to Pittsburgh. ... Washington also recalled RHP Ian Krol from Triple-A Syracuse and catcher Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg. ... RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2, 8.68 ERA) opposes Paul Maholm (9-10, 4.37) as New York opens a three-game series at Atlanta on Monday. ... Washington plays at Philadelphia on Monday as RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-9, 2.96 ERA) faces LHP Cole Hamels (6-13, 3.58 ERA). Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China China NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys ' ' '