Dein erstes Forum » showcase -- and Heisman Trophy showdown

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins were savoring a rare victory, thanks to pitcher Jose Fernandezs latest gem. A team official attempted to engage the rookie in a discussion as highlights of his performance began showing on the clubhouse television. Mesmerized, Fernandez walked away from the conversation and toward the TV. "Come on, dude," the Marlins official grumbled. "Hey, I want to see this, bro," Fernandez replied. For the 20-year-old Cuban defector, its all new -- pitching in the majors, winning games, seeing himself on TV. When hes not on the mound, he often hangs over the dugout railing, captivated by the action and cheering on a team with the worst record in the majors. If Fernandez acts as though hes trying to enjoy every moment, he is. "I keep saying, Im here, and I want to have fun," he said. While fun has been in short supply for the Marlins, Fernandez is making their season more bearable. The precocious right-hander is 4-3, remarkable considering the rest of the pitching staff began the week a combined 17-44. Heading into Wednesdays start at Arizona, Fernandez ranks among the top three rookies in the majors in ERA (3.11) , strikeouts per inning (77 in 72 1-3) and opposing batting average (.210). Such statistics are all the more impressive because he doesnt turn 21 until July 31. Fernandez became the first pitcher under 21 to allow less than two runs and less than four hits in each of his first two career starts since 1965. And in his most recent outing, Fernandez became the first pitcher under 21 to strike out 10 or more since Felix Hernandez with Seattle in 2007. "Hes similar to Felix when he was younger," two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay said. "He has that presence and that kind of stuff. If he continues to develop, he could be one of those guys." Fernandez smiles when such praise is relayed to him, but then he smiles much of the time, mindful of how far he has come. The 90 miles from Cuba to Florida is a long way. "It has been pretty hard for me to get here -- not to the big leagues, but to the United States," he said. "Living in Cuba for 15 years taught me a lot. Life over there is pretty tough. Im incredibly blessed to be in the United States." Fernandezs first three attempts to defect were foiled, and the youngster spent several months in prison. Finally he escaped the island by boat with his mother, and when she fell into the Yucatan Channel, he jumped in and pulled her out. They made it to Mexico and eventually reunited in Tampa, Fla., with his father, who had escaped from Cuba two years earlier. At Tampa Alonso High School, Fernandez began hearing he was destined for greatness. He learned to speak fluent English while contemplating stardom and plotting a persona. "Its great to be humble," he said, sounding like a country song. "People will love you more in the long run. I dont want to be just a good pitcher. I want to be a great example on the field." The hype about Fernandez has been justified. He went 30-3 in three prep seasons, helped his team win two state titles and was taken by the Marlins with the 14th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He went 14-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 27 minor-league starts, none above Single-A, and cracked the Marlins rotation with a strong spring. "He has the ability to execute pitches like only a handful of guys Ive ever seen," Miami manager Mike Redmond said. At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, Fernandez is physically mature for his age, and his repertoire is also advanced. Many of his strikeouts come on a slider or curve, which hell throw even on a 3-2 count, and this year he added an effective changeup to go with his fastball, which is consistently in the mid-90s and peaks at 98 mph. "Hes so polished for a young pitcher," Redmond said. "Its amazing how good his secondary pitches are." The Marlins have been careful with the youngsters workload, and theyll likely limit him to no more than 170 innings this year. But he wants to be a workhorse and was pleased to throw a career-high 107 pitches to beat the high-scoring Cardinals in his most recent start, especially after giving up two runs in the first inning. "I compete my butt off," he said. "It doesnt matter who Im facing. It could be the best hitter in the world; it could be my mom. I compete and compete and compete and compete, and thats what everybody is going to get out of me every time." Was it a thrill to beat the Cardinals? Heck, it was a thrill just to meet them. "One of the special moments in the game: The first time I went up to hit, Yadier Molina was catching," Fernandez said. "I look up to that guy. When they won the World Series, I saw him catch and I said, Man, I wish one day I could shake his hand. "So I said, Man, its a pleasure to be playing against you. He said, No, its my pleasure. It was great to get to pitch against him." And perhaps someday Molina will tell his grandkids about the first time he met Jose Fernandez. Chicago Bears Jerseys . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Gale Sayers Youth Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. https://www.bearssportsgoods.com/Womens-Jim-Mcmahon-Inverted-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Richard Dent Bears Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Dan Hampton Youth Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a simple message for his defense in facing Louisville star Lamar Jackson.If hes Superman, Swinney told them, were going to be the Kryptonite.No. 5 Clemson did just enough, rallying for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and stopping Jackson and No. 3 Louisville a yard short on fourth down with 33 seconds left to hold on for a 42-36 victory Saturday night.The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) rallied behind Deshaun Watsons five touchdowns, the last two coming in the final seven minutes, after Louisville (4-1, 2-1) wiped out an 18-point lead behind another standout performance by Jackson.Watson was no slouch. He had his errors -- a career-high three interceptions and a fumble -- but in the end found a way to succeed with 306 yards on 20-of-31 passing.It just shows even with the hiccups how good we are and how good we can be, Watson said. We found a way how to handle adversity.The Tigers looked like they had this one wrapped up before halftime, scoring four TDs in the second quarter to lead 28-10 at the break. Then Action Jackson got moving and the Cardinals (4-1, 2-1) scored on five consecutive possessions to take a 36-28 lead with 7:50 left.Artavis Scott began Clemsons comeback with a 77-yard kickoff return and Watson found Mike Williams for a 20-yard scoring pass two plays later. Clemson forced Louisville to punt for the only time in the second half and Watson guided the game-winning drive, ending on a 31-yard TD catch by Jordan Leggett.Jackson had one last surge, leading Louisville to Clemsons 9. But James Quick was knocked out of bounds Louisvilles final play shy of the first down.Lamar knew where he needed to go with the ball and we came up a yard short, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said.The Tigers have won 19 straight games at home, a streak that began after they lost their last top-five showdown -- when No. 5 Florida State defeated No. 3 Clemson 51-14 in 2013. In that one, Jameis Winston led a Seminoles rout.Clemson made sure Jackson would not pull off another one.A lot of guys picked Louisville, Swinney said. Rough night for you.THE TAKEAWAYLouisville: The Cardinals have climbed in the Top 25 and may wind up running the table without anotther loss in the regular season.dddddddddddd Louisville will regret its slow first half in this one, which may have cost it an ACC title and possible national championship shot.Clemson: Can anyone stop the Tigers from claiming the ACC Atlantics spot in the league title game? Florida States loss to North Carolina means the Tigers would have to lose at least twice for the Cardinals, Seminoles or anyone else in the Atlantic to have a chance. Clemson is 19-4 against its remaining ACC opponents the past five years, with three of the defeats coming to Florida State.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville: The Cardinals will fall, but should stay in the top 10. There wont be much dropoff in losing at Clemson, which is 49-6 at home since Dabo Swinney became coach.Clemson: Count on the Tigers bouncing up into the top four -- and more than a few talking heads annoiting Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson as the four presumptive College Football Playoff teams.HEISMAN IMPLICATIONSThe game figured to be a showcase -- and Heisman Trophy showdown -- for Louisvilles Lamar Jackson and Clemsons Deshaun Watson. While the Tigers came out on top, Jackson did not disappoint and most likely kept himself in the conversation going forward. Watson, after a slow start to the season, also elevated his candidacy with his fourth-quarter rally against the Cardinals.I guess so, Watson said when asked if hes back out front for the Heisman. We both played good for our teams and had a chance to win. Thats out of my control.DEFENSIVE NUMBERSIt didnt always look like it, but Clemsons defense kept Louisville off its offensive average. The Cardinals gained 568 yards, a whopping number but still below the 682 they were averaging coming in. The 36 points were also 27 fewer than what theyve scored this season. The Tigers finished with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks of the elusive Jackson.UP NEXTLouisville: Gets next week off to regroup before returning to action with a Friday night game at home against Duke on Oct. 14.Clemson: The Tigers have another short week, traveling to Boston College to play on Friday night. ' ' '