Umzug » manager Bob Melvin went back to Johnson

TORONTO a€“ Coaches, parents, agents, friends, teammates, they all keep telling Morgan Rielly the same thing and hea€?s tired of it. The 20-year-old Maple Leafs defender doesna€?t believe, even remotely, in the myth of the sophomore jinx despite everything hea€?s heard about it. They all keep telling him to lower his expectations, to prepare for the dip many experience in their second twirl through the NHL, to simply shoot for the status quo of a standout rookie year. Rielly rejects it. He wants more and is determined to prove it. a€?Therea€?s people trying to say a€?just try to do what you did last yeara€? but I want to try to improve this year and I want to try to make a difference on this team, try to be a leader,a€? said Rielly in conversation with TSN.ca. a€?Ia€?m not going to be okay with being good or average, I want to be even better.a€? Rielly doesna€?t buy the questionable rationale of the sophomore slump. He doesna€?t think therea€?s any reason his play should dip after a rookie trial that saw him get better and better over the course of 73 games. Whata€?s to stop him from taking all that he did and learned as a first-year player and improving upon it? a€?Absolutely,a€? he says before repeating the word once more. a€?Absolutely. Therea€?s always players that have those slumps, wea€?ve talked about that. Ia€?ve heard all about that stuff, but therea€?s plenty of players that have had great years after their first year; like Drew Doughty, like Kris Letang, have all had really good [sophomore] years. I think thata€?s what Ia€?m trying to focus on. Ia€?m not trying to focus on the guys that have had slumps. I want to be like the guys that have had great years going into their sophomore years.a€? He keeps hearing, though, that he should be prepared for the falloff, the advice trickling in from all walks of life. And while Rielly appreciates the sentiment, he also has no intention of limiting himself in a year that kicks off in less than a week. He wants to tell them all a€“ coaches, parents, agents, teammates, all of them a€“ that he can handle himself, that hea€?ll be just fine. Sophomore or not, hea€?s going to improve. He knows Doughty did it. The Kings cornerstone and 2014 Olympic hero leaped from six goals and 27 points as a rookie to 16 goals, 59 points, and a Norris Trophy nomination as a sophomore. Letang, near the top of Riellya€?s hockey idols, virtually doubled his production from year one to year two; six goals and 17 points as a Penguins rookie to 10 and 33, not to mention a dominant playoff run. But even Riellya€?s head coach here in Toronto, Randy Carlyle, treads carefully around the subject. Hea€?s told Rielly as much. a€?When I chat with Randy he always told me to just not have high expectations and just try to come back this year and try to do what I did last year,a€? Rielly said of his conversations with Carlyle. a€?But I mean I dona€?t know if thata€?s my personal goal. I think I want to make improvements in a whole lot of areas. Ia€?m going to try to do that this year, just try to get better every day and just keep learning. Ia€?ve only played one year so Ia€?ve got lots of room to learn and improve.a€? Carlyle is fearful of thrusting too much on the shoulders of his young defender, especially in a market that tends to swallow its own. a€?I dona€?t like to put any pressure on a young player, specifically a second year player because we all have heard of the sophomore jinx,a€? he said. a€?I would rather caution ourselves and tread against giving him too much too early; just get his feet underneath him and do what he did last year until hea€?s very comfortable.a€? Rielly learned a lot in that first year, so much that he doesna€?t know where to start when questioned on the subject. What stands out first, he said, is just how difficult the league is, how it will eat you up in a hurry if youa€?re not ready for it. There are no nights off. a€?In junior,a€? he says, a€?you could just not play great, but I could always get by a€“ score, get an assist, it looks fine. Playing in this league, if youa€?re not playing the best that you can the whole building notices. I think thata€?s one thing, just because the players are so good that if you make one mistake ita€?s probably going to end up in the back of your net. So youa€?ve got to be on point and if youa€?re not, people are going to know.a€? That means learning to perform when the legs dona€?t feel so great, when a cold is kicking in, when youa€?re tired from the third game in four nights. Ita€?s about battling through those things, he says. A surprise to even make the team out of training camp last fall, Rielly got noticeably better with each passing practice, game and day. It was apparent in his swagger on the ice. He was joining the rush with more frequency in February and March. He was taking more chances. He was using the gifts that allowed him to be picked fifth overall in 2012 to stand out on many more nights. If therea€?s one specific area for personal improvement this season, ita€?s in the defensive zone. Rielly, like the team at large, is intent on retrieving the puck quicker, finishing plays more decisively, winning more battles, anything that will allow him and his teammates to spend less time on defence and more time on the attack. He had 27 points as a rookie, two more than Seth Jones, the player picked fourth overall by Nashville in 2013. Peter Horachek, spent a great deal of time behind that Predators bench as the teama€?s No. 2 to Barry Trotz, the since-deposed and now Washington Capitals head coach. He and Trotz shared a rich history in developing NHL defencemen, particularly the two players who would come to define much of the franchisea€?s history: Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Horachek speaks with admiration for Weber and Suter, calling them friends to this day. He doesna€?t believe in putting limits on emerging young talent. He wants them to learn from their mistakes, grow to be better because of those mistakes. And like Rielly, hea€?s definitely not a believer in that whole jinx thing. a€?His development is limited to himself,a€? said Horachek, the still-new Leafs assistant. a€?Therea€?s no limit. Hea€?s limited only by his maturity of where he is and his decision-making. I hopefully can help him make good decisions and he can continue to grow. a€?I dona€?t believe in any superstitions or second-year jinxes,a€? he continued. a€?Why would a guy not have a good second year? Is it because he relaxes? He doesna€?t train as hard? He feels like Ia€?ve made it, I dona€?t have to be on edge all the time? Every player, no matter if theya€?re in the fifth year or second year, [has] to be ready to play and focus. Thata€?s part of their maturity and mental development is saying Ia€?m ready to practice today, Ia€?m going to do a little bit more today in practice.a€? Rielly, who played just under 18 minutes a game last year, spent most of the offseason back home in Vancouver where he trained alongside Mike Santorelli, one among the newer crop of Leafs. The two have been training together for years, met at the gym when Rielly was still in the 10th grade. a€?Hea€?s a bit more quiet than I am so he keeps me focused,a€? Rielly says of Santorelli, nearly a decade his senior. Rielly kept his workouts the same as in yearsa€? past though he insists on feeling stronger and quicker this fall, his already NHL-ready frame continuing to grow. His drive to improve crosses many paths. He continues to pick the minds of more experienced teammates, searching for tips and bits of advice that will help him conquer his second NHL season. He and the teama€?s captain, Dion Phaneuf, had dinner together recently and discussed such things. Phaneuf was a Calder Trophy finalist as a rookie, busting out of the Red Deer Rebels junior ranks with 20 goals and 49 points for the Flames. He followed it up with 17 more goals and 50 points a€“ numbers Rielly can recount off the top of his head. a€?Ita€?s not really hard-hitting stuff,a€? Rielly says of his conversation with Phaneuf, a€?but he told me what he experienced. He was experiencing exactly what Ia€?m dealing with. He just tried to give me some advice, give me some confidence and have some fun with it.a€? Phaneufa€?s wisdom hinged on confidence and belief in onea€?s own ability. He advised Rielly to ignore what was being said, to brush off the crowing of a furious hockey market that scowls when Phil Kessel goes more than three games without scoring. a€?He told me to not worry about what everybody else is saying,a€? Rielly said. And that, it would appear, is what Rielly is intent on doing. Hea€?s going to ignore the calls for a sophomore slump, ignore rationale that says he should stay the same, ignore anything thata€?s going to keep him from getting even better, from remaining merely good. What does getting better mean? a€?Hard work,a€? he says abruptly. Nate Palmer Jersey . DArnaud hit one of three doubles for the Mets as they took a 4-0 lead in the first. Then the catchers seventh home run of the season broke the game open in the fifth. The 41-year-old Colon (10-8) retired the first 20 batters in his last outing Wednesday against Seattle, eventually allowing two runs on three hits in 7 1-3 innings in a 3-2 win. Logan Ryan Jersey . -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a broken bone below his right eye after being struck by a bad-hop grounder, sidelining the star slugger for at least a week with opening day on deck. http://www.officialtennesseetitansfootba...n-jersey-womens. The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. Curley Culp Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. Marcus Mariota Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Reigning AL saves leader Jim Johnson struck out two and closed it out this time after losing back-to-back outings to begin with his new team, sealing the Oakland Athletics 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer, Yoenis Cespedes connected in the eighth and Josh Donaldson beat out an infield single in the fifth to drive in the go-ahead run. Sonny Gray (1-0) allowed one earned run and six hits, struck out three and walked two in six innings. In the ninth, manager Bob Melvin went back to Johnson, who delivered his first save despite allowing two baserunners. Johnson, who converted 50 of 59 save opportunities in 2013, was acquired from Baltimore to replace departed All-Star Grant Balfour. Moss tied the game at 3 on a three-run homer in the third. Donaldsons third hit of the season snapped a career-worst 0-for-20 streak, and Jed Lowrie followed with a sacrifice fly. Oakland won its first series at home against Seattle in four tries since sweeping the Mariners at the Coliseum to end the 2012 season. Melvin lost a replay challenge in the fourth inning. Sam Fuld singled and started toward second and was caught off the bag. The crew confirmed its call in 2 minutes, 1 second. Grey allowed a pair of unearned runs in the second after Michael Saunders reached on first baseman Daric Bartons fielding error. After throwing six shutout innings in a 2-0 loss to Cleveland on opening night Monday, Gray followed that up with another strrong start.ddddddddddddThe two runs ended his scoreless innings streak at 14 dating to his final regular-season start of 2013. Erasmo Ramirez (1-1) struggled with his command after an impressive win in his season debut Tuesday at Los Angeles. He allowed seven hits and walked three in four innings. Robinson Canos third-inning double gave him a 14-game hitting streak against the AL West. Right-hander Dominic Leone made his major league debut in the seventh for Seattle after being promoted Friday. The 2012 16th-round draft pick bypassed Triple-A. He immediately gave up Eric Sogards double, the No. 9 batters third hit of the day. Notes: Seattle DH Corey Hart had the day off as he continues to be eased in after missing last year with Milwaukee following knee surgery. That gives him two days of rest before Seattles home opener Tuesday. ... The As were set to fly after the game to Minnesota for Monday afternoons Twins home opener. ... James Paxton starts for Seattle Tuesday against the Angels. ... As reliever Ryan Cook, on the DL with shoulder tendinitis, could be activated as soon as Monday, while OF Craig Gentry (lower back strain) will make at least one more minor league appearance before returning. RHP A.J. Griffin (elbow) will stay in Oakland and continue rehab, beginning strengthening exercises this week. "Its more the mental game, battling boredom," said Griffin, a 14-game winner last year. "Youre not contributing, youre taking up space in the clubhouse." 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