Reiseplan » Park, keep veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe t

Steffon Armitages prospects of making an England comeback look slim after head coach Eddie Jones denied speaking with the Toulon flanker. The French clubs owner Mourad Boudjellal, who publishes comic books, claimed Armitage told him Jones had been in contact to clear the way to an international return.Former London Irish back row Armitage has spent six years in exile due to Twickenhams ruling that overseas players can only be selected in exceptional circumstances. Armitage, who was named 2014 European Player of the Year, has one year left on his contract and his availability has been made known to Aviva Premiership clubs, with Wasps and Bath his likely destinations if a move materialises.But Jones was quick to play down speculation he has been in touch with Armitage, whose brother Delon plays alongside him at Toulon and also represented England before his move to the Top 14.Youve got to remember the bloke who makes the comments writes comic books. I will leave it at that, said Jones.I dont know whether he writes them or sells them but he has made plenty of money out of them. Batman and Robin wont be in the team.When asked if there had been any contact with Armitage, Jones added: Not that I know of.People have false Facebook posts and false Twitter accounts, so I suppose you can have a false phone call. Watch our exclusive interview with England head coach Eddie Jones. I dont control him. Its got nothing to do with me. He is not eligible to play for England.Jones England squad have gathered in Brighton to prepare for their Sky Live game against Wales at Twickenham on May 29, a match that that will serve as the warm-up to their series against Australia in June.But he refuses to subscribe to the traditional explanation for a poor end-of-season tour being that it bookends an arduous campaign. People have false Facebook posts and false Twitter accounts, so I suppose you can have a false phone call. Eddie Jones I remember one of the first staff meetings we had after the Six Nations when the staff started saying theyve had a long, hard season, Jones said.As soon as you talk like that, youre saying you dont want to win. Every team in the world has got this same issue.The southern hemisphere come here in November - do the All Blacks ever complain about a long, hard season? They enjoy it and they play super rugby.Theres no reason why we cant go to Australia and play super rugby.Watch England v Wales on Sky Sports 3 HD. Coverage begins on May 29 at 2:30pm. Also See: Wasps target big-name signings Itoje lands European award Tuilagi fit for semi-final Wasps close in on Le Roux Cheap Football Jerseys Throwback China .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Discount Football Jerseys Throwback . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Football Jerseys Throwback Outlet .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Stitched Football Jerseys Throwback . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlads reverence for Terry Ryan has been evident for almost two decades, steadfastly supporting his general manager with a commitment uncommon in todays game.As the struggles on the field piled up over the last five years, even that enduring respect wasnt enough to keep Ryan with the Twins.Ryan was fired on Monday with the team holding the worst record in the American League and on pace to lose 100 games. The Twins entered the day 33-58, 21 games out of first place in the AL Central. Only Atlanta had a worse record in the majors.Sometimes you may have to do things that are hard, Pohlad said. I never try to shy away from hard decisions. I own this decision. We like to bring people from within up the organization. If we have to go outside we go outside. Theres new ways of thinking. Theyre not tied into old organizational ways of thinking.Ryan said he is leaving with immense pride in being part of the Twins organization for the better part of three decades.Rob Antony, in his 29th season with the organization and ninth as the teams assistant general manager, will take over on an interim basis. Pohlad said he would be considered for the permanent job.Antony became a bit emotional when talking about Ryan before Minnesotas game Monday night at Detroit.Itll be fine as long as nobody asks me what he means to me, Antony said. Its been tough. Worked with the man for 20 years and have nothing but respect for him, and hes been a mentor, hes been like a second dad for me. So its been a tough day for a lot of people.Twins star Joe Mauer echoed that sentiment in the clubhouse.You always knew where you stood with him. Very honest, direct. He had a lot of qualities that I tried to pattern myself after, Mauer said. Theres a lot of emotions going through me right now. Its a tough day.Pohlad said he informed Ryan about a month ago that he would not be coming back in 2017. After some contemplation, Ryan told Pohlad on Friday after the All-Star break that they should make the move now.Whoever leads the baseball operations will have the teams full support to make whatever changes are deemed necessary -- except one. Pohlad said manager Paul Molitor will return in 2017.I want to keep doing this, Molitor said. I want to help try to be part of the solution of our team getting better and finding a way to do some things that we havent been able to do here for quite a while.Pohlad said the Twins might bring in a search firm to help identify GM candidates outside the organization as well, with the goal of hiring someone before the season ends. For now, Antony has full power to make trades and moves up through the trade deadline in two weeks.One of the most respected figgures in baseball, Ryan spent two stints as general manager of the Twins, taking over in September 1994 and helping the franchise eventually become one of the models for small-market success in the early 2000s.dddddddddddd He helped build one of baseballs strongest farm systems and made several shrewd trades that turned the Twins into a team that won four AL Central tiles in five seasons.Im grateful for the leadership opportunities provided by the Pohlad family, he said. The collaboration and talents of my colleagues in the front office; the hard work and dedication of our manager, coaches and clubhouse personnel; the commitment and professionalism of our players; the passion and attention to detail of our minor league staff and scouts; and most importantly, the incredible support of our fans.Ryan stepped down after the 2007 season but returned in November 2011 after hand-picked successor Bill Smith could not continue the teams success.The Twins are in the middle of their fifth losing season in the last six years, and a 2015 season that saw them return to contention proved not to be enough when the team sank to the bottom of the AL this summer.I think we maybe relied and depended too much on some young players, that they were going to be able to take that next step, and they werent able to, and some of our veteran players got off to a tough start the first month or two, Antony said. When you put those two things together, thats tough.Ryan handed out big money to pitchers Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes in an effort to address the teams biggest weakness in the starting rotation, but all have been disappointments this year.The decisions to sign South Korean slugger Byung-Ho Park, keep veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe this offseason and move promising youngster Miguel Sano from third base to right field all proved ill-fated. Sano was injured while playing the outfield and is back at third base, Plouffe is on the disabled list and his trade value has been diminished, and Park has been sent to Triple-A to try to ease his transition to the United States.The midseason firing is a highly uncharacteristic move by the Pohlad family, long known in baseball circles for loyalty and continuity. Jim Pohlad has made no secret of his admiration for Ryan, saying as late as last year that the GM could hold his post for as long as he wanted.Maybe the light should have gone on earlier, Pohlad said. But the light went on and we need to look at our organization and the way we do things.---AP Baseball Writer Noah Trister in Detroit contributed to this report. ' ' '