The Detroit Tigers 25-Man Roster is Almost Set

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The Detroit Tigers 25-Man Roster is Almost Set
Detroit Tigers MLB/Detroit Tigers

What are the Detroit Tigers actually worth?

Christian Post Report – The Detroit Tigers’ 25-man active roster to open the 2015 season got a lot clearer today. The team optioned catcher Bryan Holiday and OF Tyler Collins to the minor leagues. That mans the team will carry Andrew Romine and Hernan Perez as utility infielders. Manager Bard Ausmus has gotten them both playing time all around the infield so they will be set to take over the role left empty by the departure of Don Kelly.

The only real decision left to the team is what to do with Bruce Rondon and which two lefthanders will earn spots in the bullpen. There are many factors that go into that decision the most important of them being which players give the big team the best chance to win. Secondly the team is thinking who should play more and that is likely why Collins was sent to the minors so he can play instead of riding the bench in Detroit.

The Tigers will carry four outfielders, Yoenis Cespedes, Rajai dais, Anthony Gose, and JD Martinez. Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos, Jose Iglesias, Ian Kinsler join Romine and Perez and the infielders. Expect Alex Avila and James McCann to share the catching duties. With Victor Martinez as the team’s full time Designated hitter. Justin Verlander, David Price, Anibal Sanchez, Shane Green and Alfredo Simon are the club’s five starting pitchers.

Joe Nathan will begin the year as the closer, Joakim Soria will be the set up guy. Joba Chamberlain, Al Albuquerque have all likely earned spots in the en leaving a decision between Rondon and Angel Nesbitt for the final right handed spots. Ian Krol, Tom Gorzelanny, Blain Hardy and Kyle Ryan will be competing for the two left handed reliever spots. Gorzelanny will has likely already wrapped up one of those spots with the final decisions to come in the next few days.

Source : Christian Post

Obama Reminded of Vow to Free Imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini as Iran Nuke Talks Enter Final Day

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Obama Reminded of Vow to Free Imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini as Iran Nuke Talks Enter Final Day
U.S. President Barack Obama (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about Iran during his meeting with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington March 3, 2015.

Christian Post Report – As the high-profile nuclear deal negotiations between the U.S., Iran, and several other countries entered the final scheduled day of talks on Tuesday, the American Center for Law and Justice reminded President Barack Obama of his promise to do all he can to get Iran to release imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini.

Negotiations about the long-standing issues of lifting some of the sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbing its nuclear research program are taking place in Switzerland, though politicians have given few hints that an agreement will be reached by the end of the day.

ACLJ, which represents pastor Abedini’s wife and two children in the U.S., has said that Iran’s stated commitment to improve its human rights record must be demonstrated by agreeing to release the pastor.

“March 26 marked two and a half years since American Pastor Saeed Abedini was imprisoned in Iran, jailed simply because of his Christian faith. His health is worsening. In a prison where torture and executions are commonplace, Pastor Saeed continues to face grave threats and an uncertain future,” ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow wrote on Monday.

Sekulow noted that Obama has called for Abedini’s release on a number of occasions, and in January met with Abedini’ family to tell them that freeing the pastor remains a top priority for his administration.

“If that’s the case, this troubling question remains: Why hasn’t Pastor Saeed been released? Like the nuclear talks, there are questions for both sides regarding Pastor Saeed,” Sekulow asked.

“Why can’t the U.S. make it happen? Can’t officials apply pressure to free this U.S. citizen? And for Iran – which clearly needs to earn the world’s trust – what better way exists for the Iranians to take an important step forward?”

The U.S. and the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, also known as the Big Five or P5 – France, China, U.K. and Russia – must reach an agreement with Iran before midnight local time, with a final deal by the end of June. Germany is also included in the talks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has been leading the negotiations with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in the town of Lausanne. Iran is being pressured to make further cuts to its uranium enrichment program, but is pushing back on limits to technology that could be used to engineer atomic arms.

Western diplomats have said that the deal will have different stages, and a main point still being discussed is how much research and development into uranium enrichment Iran will be allowed to conduct in the final five years of the planned 15-year agreement. In the first 10 years, Iran would have to freeze its nuclear program, but would be allowed to enrich to higher levels after the 11th year.

Ali Vaez, an Iran analyst with the International Crisis Group, told CBS News that it is difficult to see if a deal will indeed be reached before the end of the day.

“A lot of this is signalling, a lot of this is showing that if the p5+1 is not going to move on some of the issues that are important for Iran, Iran is also going to adopt a harder position, and even backtrack on some of the issues if it is necessary,” Vaez said.

Some world leaders, such as recently re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have warned that the suggested deal with Iran would be detrimental to world peace.

“We have been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. It is a very bad deal. We are better off without it,” Netanyahu told the House of Representatives chamber in a visit to Congress earlier in March.

“We are being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That is just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal,” he added.

Source : Christian Post

San Antonio Spurs NBA 2015 News, Rumors: Can Defending Champs Find Consistency Entering Playoffs?

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San Antonio Spurs NBA 2015 News, Rumors: Can Defending Champs Find Consistency Entering Playoffs?

Last year, the San Antonio Spurs shocked the world when they dismantled the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the 2014 NBA Finals.

Christian Post Report – In reality, the Spurs just executive the plays they have been playing all season long and through the playoffs.

San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan dunks the ball during the first quarter of the Spurs NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, March 2, 2011. (PHOTOS:REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk)

San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan dunks the ball during the first quarter of the Spurs NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, March 2, 2011.

However, the consistency and accuracy executing the gameplan were the key factors that spelled the game, and finished the series in just five games.

Unfortunately, this year, San Antonio has been finding it difficult to remain consistent. Just a few games ago the team soundly defeated East Conference leader Atlanta Hawks, while in another game it was beaten by the Knicks who own the league’s worst record.

On Wednesday, San Antonio recorded their highest-margin win in the last two years against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, 130-91.

Even the Spurs players themselves cannot seem to pinpoint what is the problem with their inconsistency.

“We’re all motivated. It’s not like we’re doing it on purpose. We just have to make a conscious effort to make sure and play better game to game,” said starting point guard Tony Parker.

“I don’t know,” said Parker. “We have great guys on the team. We’re all motivated. It’s not like we’re doing it on purpose. We just have to make a conscious effort to make sure and play better game to game.”

However, as far as coach Gregg Popovich is concerned, the Spurs’ lackluster performance throughout the season is primarily a lack of effort.

In 2014, the Spurs ended March on an impressive winning run and mentality that carried them to the playoffs against their toughest matchup last year, the Dallas Mavericks.

But once they got past Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, it was all smooth sailing for San Antonio.

In this final stretch towards the playoffs, the Spurs need to get things going so they come prepared for the tougher match-ups in the post-season.

Source : Christian Post

Dragon Age Inquisition ‘Jaws of Hakkon’ DLC Release Date for PC and Xbox Arrives; No Launch Date for PS3 and PS4 Yet

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Dragon Age Inquisition ‘Jaws of Hakkon’ DLC Release Date for PC and Xbox Arrives; No Launch Date for PS3 and PS4 Yet

The third game in the “Dragon Age” series, “Dragon Age: Inquisition,” received its first DLC called “Jaws of Hakkon” on March 24. The DLC release was limited to selected consoles, particularly the Xbox One and the PC.

Jaws of Hakkon YouTube Screenshot YouTube/GamesHQ

Christian Post Report – YouTube screenshot of the Jaws of Hakkon trailer.

The game’s developer BioWare said that because of an exclusivity contract with Microsoft, they could not announce when the DLC pack will be available for the Sony consoles, particularly the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4. The contract restricts them for a limited time only, and according to a report in GameSpot, the developer’s general manager Aaran Flynn assured that it will be coming to other consoles soon.

According to another report in IGN, exclusivity contracts such as these usually last for 30 days, so the report says this may be the case for the “Jaws of Hakkon” DLC. Bioware said that they cannot even say how long the exclusivity deal will run. The developers also expressed a little concern about “boycotts.” 

“I hope no one boycotts the purchase, as it’s a pretty fun adventure that will be available on all platforms,” Flynn told GameSpot.

The report also said that Bioware hopes to make additional announcements about the PS4 release next week. What is up in the air is if the developer will make the DLC available for older consoles such as the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

The “Jaws of Hakkon” DLC is the first DLC pack for the game since it’s released in November 2014. According to the game’s wiki page, it will “reveal the last Inquisitor and the powerful dragon he hunted.” A new playable region called Frostback Basin becomes available which is said to be covered in mountains and lush forests, “where danger lurks in the shadowy undergrowth.” Players will be able to get new armor and weapons and will “unearth an ancient secret that could destroy the world.”

Source : Christian Post

Bruce Rondon Might Not Make the Detroit Tigers Roster

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Bruce Rondon Might Not Make the Detroit Tigers Roster
Bruce Rondon reuters.com

How much of an impact will Bruce Rondon have on the Detroit Tigers bullpen?

Christian Post Report – The biggest question mark about the 2015 Detroit Tigers is the bullpen. Now that manager Brad Ausmus has stared that Joe Nathan will be the closer, at least to start the season, one of those mysterious has been put to bed. Now the team must decide what to do with Bruce Rondon, who is one year removed from Tommy John surgery and still trying to battle his way onto the big league roster.

Rondon has been in the team’s plans for a number of years now. Two years ago he was named the closer in the off season only to not make the team out of spring training. Now the team is discussing whether or not he would benefit from starting the season with the Triple A Toledo Mudhens while he works on his control. The strength is there, but Rondon is not fooling anyone in spring training and may need some time to get sharp again.

“To be fair to Rondon, the reason he has struggled this spring could very well be due to the surgery he underwent in March 2014. His velocity was surprisingly strong right from the start this spring. But velocity doesn’t guarantee anyone success on the mound or even a spot on the roster,” Chris Lott wrote for MLive.

The Tigers do have options. If they decide Rondon needs more time they can come north with Angel Nesbitt, Joba Chamberlain, Al Albuquerque as their right handers with Nathan as the closer and Joakim Soria as the set up man. That would leave room for two lefties. Tom Gorzelanny has likely tied up one of those spots leaving the team to decide between Ian Krol, Blaine Hardy, and Kyle Ryan.

The Tigers spent the off season bringing in bullpen arms and it looks like that was a wise move.

Source : Christian Post

The NHL May Expand to Las Vegas

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The NHL May Expand to Las Vegas
NHL NHL

The NHL is looking to expand has Las Vegas in its sights

The NHL is looking to expand again. It has been the policy of the league for this generation to expand into non-traditional hockey markets, and even though that process has been met with very mixed results (the Atlanta Thrashers lasted 12 years before being relocated to Winnipeg) the league it set to once again expand into non-traditional markets.

There is a NFL style arena being built in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bill Foley is heading a group that wants to bring a NHL franchise to that city. They started a season ticket campaign in February, as part of the first hurdle to being approved by the league for a team. In a little less than two months they have deposits for 8,000 season tickets and are now focusing their efforts on corporate support. In Vegas, that means casinos and they will likely find a lot of support being the first major American sport league to potentially place a franchise there.

Part of what is driving the NHL’s expansion it not the west instead of more traditional hockey markets in the east and in Canada is the unbalance of its league currently. The NHL reorganized its league a few years ago and that led to 16 teams in the eastern conference and just 14 in the western. It is the leagues goal to erase that imbalance.

“To the extent our board makes a decision that expansion is something they’ll consider or pursue, which they haven’t yet, as an initial matter we have to look West first due to the geographic alignment of our teams,” Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said. “We have 14 teams in the Western Conference, 16 teams in the East. That’s an imbalance that we’ll want to remedy.”

That means the NHL will look to the west to add teams before it pursues markets like Quebec that lost teams when the Canadian dollar created a competitive unbalance for the franchise north of the U.S. border.

Source : Christian Post

The NFL Looks to Jazz Up the Extra Point Play

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The NFL Looks to Jazz Up the Extra Point Play
Kickers reuters.com

Many football leagues are looking to tweak the rules to get away from the automatic extra point attempt

Officials from the NFL and the CFL are both looking at ways to spice up the extra point conversion. The play has become so automatic and so routine that many fans are tuning out before the game can even get to the commercial break. Conversions follow a touchdown, and that extra point attempt that was 99.6 percent successful last year in the NFL. It is a boring automatic play in most football leagues and these leagues seem very intent to change that.

In the NFL there are considering moving the point after attempt from the 2 yard line to the 15 yard line, which would make an extra point a 32-yard try. While that is still well within the range of NFL kickers, it is not as automatic play as the 15-yard current extra point attempt. The NFL also is considering a CFL-style rule that would allow the defensive team to score two points if they block the kick and return it to the opposite end zone.

The CFL is looking at rules to get more teams to try a two point conversion. These include moving a single point PAT from the 12 to the 32 yard line and moving a two point try from the five yard line to the three. That could entice coaches to go for two points, which in turn makes for a more exciting game.

On the NFL side, 30 of the 32 teams have agreed the NFL needs to tweak the rules. They fully expect the league to come up with its proposed tweaks at the league meetings in May. Any rule changes would have to carry support from 24 of the 32 teams and reaching a consensus there is often a uphill battle. The NFL has asked all 32 teams for a proposal then.

Source : Christian Post

Germanwings Co-Pilot Lubitz Was Treated for ‘Suicidal Tendencies’ Before Receiving License, Sparks Discussion Over Doctor-Patient Confidentiality

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Germanwings Co-Pilot Lubitz Was Treated for ‘Suicidal Tendencies’ Before Receiving License, Sparks Discussion Over Doctor-Patient Confidentiality
Andreas Lubitz (Photo: Reuters/Foto-Team-Mueller STRINGER)

Andreas Lubitz runs the Airportrace half marathon in Hamburg in this September 13, 2009 file photo.

Christian Post Report – Revelations that Germanwings Flight 9525 co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was treated for “suicidal tendencies” before receiving his pilot’s license has sparked a discussion on doctor-patient confidentiality in Germany, with some lawmakers suggesting doctors should have a duty to speak out if a person’s condition potentially puts other lives at risk.

The public prosecutor’s office in Düsseldorf said on Monday that Lubitz had been treated for “suicidal tendencies” before earning his pilot’s license, but following the treatment he appeared to have gotten better and doctors found no other signs of those tendencies or any aggression toward others.

Lubitz is widely believed to have deliberately crashed the Airbus A320 jet last week in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.

A leaked audio transcript showed that Lubitz had locked the cockpit door after Capt. Patrick Sondenheimer had stepped out to go to the bathroom, and refused to open it despite the captain’s pleas and attempts to break in.

German investigators have searched multiple homes where Lubitz has resided, and found evidence such as torn-up doctor’s notes that suggest he was unfit to work on the day of the crash. Medical reports revealed he had been treated for a “severe depressive episode” that interrupted his flight training six years ago, but the exact condition he had been suffering from was not revealed.

On Monday, the public prosecutor’s office said that the 27-year-old co-pilot had been treated by psychotherapists “over a long period of time,” but due to privacy protection under German law, doctors are not required to share his condition with others.

Roland Quast, medical director of Aeromedical Center Germany in Stuttgart, said that Lubitz would have had to disclose his condition himself.

“What is decisive is that the pilot tells the truth,” Quast said, according to The New York Times. “If he lies, we don’t have lie detectors.”

Some lawmakers, such as Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democrat and a medical expert, said that medical professionals should be allowed the right to inform the authorities about patients in cases that could affect public safety.

Lauterbach told the German newspaper Bild that if lives could be endangered, “the doctor has a duty to inform the employer about the unsuitability of the employee to do his work … especially in the case of psychiatric illness and the possible danger of suicide.”

Prosecutors have made clear that the investigation into the crash and Lubitz’s motives continues, however.

“In particular, there continues to be no verifiable warning of such an act nor has any claim of responsibility been found,” the statement said.

TIME noted on Monday that rescue workers, who are still collecting bodies from the French Alps, believe to have identified the remains of Lubitz at the crash site.

Bild said that French investigators apparently identified the co-pilot’ remains using DNA matching. Forensic scientists suggested that this might also be an important discovery, as tests will show if Lubitz was using drugs or any kind of medication on the day of the crash.

Source : Christian Post

David Duchovny Dishes About the New ‘X-Files’ Revival Series

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David Duchovny Dishes About the New ‘X-Files’ Revival Series
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson Reuters/File

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. REUTERS/Stephen Hird

Christian Post Report – Following last week’s announcement that Fox has already given the needed green-light for the revival of the ’90s phenomenal sci-fi TV series “The X-Files,” the internet once again took off when more information about the upcoming revival show was served by none other than its lead star, David Duchovny.

Playing as the FBI special agent, Fox Mulder, Duchovny was recently interviewed by The New York Times about his new series “Aquarius.” The talk expectedly segued to “X-Files” which he admits wasn’t “really a cult show.”

“It was actually a big hit. People call it a cult show because of the subject matter,” he said.

He went on to confirm that the new take of the story will be consisted of six episodes and will follow on its “Monster of the Week” set-up as well as its expansive mythology.

“We’re gonna do both. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna begin and end with the mythology,” he revealed.

He went on to say that filming for the new segments would happen in Vancouver which, as CBR said, would take advantage of the location’s “misty atmosphere” that will help bring out the show’s signature “spooky tone.”

The 54-year-old New York native further insisted that the new “X-Files” will be the same as before.

“We’re still trying to do the same show. It’s not like were trying to make it 2.0, or whatever the.0 is now. 3.0. We’re gonna make the same show. But it’ll be interesting because Gillian and I are older. I don’t want to act like it’s 20 years ago,” he added.

Source : Christian Post

Jay Cutler Must Win the Starting QB Position With the Chicago Bears, Says Head Coach

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Jay Cutler Must Win the Starting QB Position With the Chicago Bears, Says Head Coach
Jay Cutler reuters.com

Jay Cutler will have to win the Chicago Bears starting job in 2015

Christian Post Report – Jay Cutler is under contract for the Chicago Bears. The Bears signed him to a massive contract extension not that long ago. Cutler is due to make $15 million guaranteed in 2015 and $10 million dollars in 2016. That is the likely the biggest reasons he remains on a team that has hired a new head coach and is getting ready to rebuild itself.

Even with all of that money invested in him, new Bears head coach John Fox says Cutler has to win the starting job this summer at the team’s training camp.

“It’s all an open competition. Obviously you’ve got to start somewhere and my experience in football, really in anything, it’s not where you start a competition; it’s where you finish it,” Fox told CSNchicago.com. “But we’ve got to start the race with some kind of lineup. We have not discussed that in depth. We have not presented it to our players yet. I kind of have it in my brain and then they compete.”

The Bears also have Jimmy Claussen and David Fales under contract. The former regime in Chicago benched Cutler last season in favor of Cutler when the team was struggling. While Fox has to find the best guy for the job, the reality here is Fox is stuck with Cutler. His contract is two big to unload and for the time being he has to find a way to make the team better with Cutler on the roster.

2014 was not a very good year for the Bears. There were many reports that there were rifts in the locker room and it got so bad that the head coach and large portions of the front office were replaced. While Cutler’s 2014 stat line looks to be ok, Cutler did lead the NFL in interceptions.

Source : Christian Post

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