guard. I just wanted to be physical with him and try to disrupt

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Don Zimmer wasnt a fixture in baseball forever. It just seemed that way. He played alongside Jackie Robinson on the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win the World Series. He coached Derek Jeter on the New York Yankees latest dynasty. And his manager once was the illustrious Casey Stengel. For 66 years, Zimmer was a most popular presence at ballparks all over, a huge chaw often filling his cheek. Everyone in the game seemed to know him, and love him. Zimmer was still working for the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior adviser when he died Wednesday at a hospital in nearby Dunedin. He had been in a rehabilitation centre since having seven hours of heart surgery in mid-April. "Today we all lost a national treasure and a wonderful man," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. Zimmer started out as a minor league infielder in 1949, hitting powerful shots that earned him the nickname "Popeye." He went on to enjoy one of the longest-lasting careers in baseball history. And oh, the stories he could tell. "I loved listening to him every day," Billy Connors, a coach under Zimmer with the Chicago Cubs, told The Associated Press. Zimmer played on the original New York Mets, saw his Boston Red Sox beaten by Bucky Dents playoff homer, got tossed to the ground by Pedro Martinez during a brawl and was Joe Torres right-hand man as the bench coach with the Yankees. "I hired him as a coach, and he became like a family member to me. He has certainly been a terrific credit to the game," Torre said in a statement. "The game was his life. And his passing is going to create a void in my life and my wife Alis. We loved him. The game of baseball lost a special person tonight. He was a good man," he said. A career .235 hitter in the big leagues, numbers could never define all that Zimmer meant to the game. He did have tremendous success, too -- his teams won six World Series rings and went to the post-season 19 times. Zimmers No. 66 Rays jersey had been worn recently by longtime Tampa Bay third base coach Tom Foley in tribute. The Rays hosted the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, and Foley was crying in the dugout. Earlier this season, the Rays hung a banner in the front of the press box at Tropicana Field that simply read "ZIM." There was a moment of silence at Dodger Stadium for Zimmer before Los Angeles played the Chicago White Sox. "On behalf of Major League Baseball and the many clubs that Popeye served in a distinguished baseball life, I extend my deepest condolences to Dons family, friends and his many admirers throughout our game," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. Zimmers biggest admirer was his wife "Soot" -- they were married at home plate during a minor league game in 1951. Two years later in the minors, Zimmers path took a frightening turn -- he was beaned by a fastball and left in a coma, and doctors had to put metal screws in his head. He recovered well enough to wear a lot of uniforms during his 56 years in the majors. He played for the Dodgers, Mets, Cubs, Cincinnati and Washington. He managed San Diego, Boston, Texas and the Cubs. "Probably the best baseball man I knew," Connors said. Yankees executive Hank Steinbrenner echoed that sentiment. "I loved Zim. I loved his passion. He was a great, great guy. He was a great baseball guy," he told the AP. "Everybody loved him." Steinbrenner, son of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, said Torre and Zimmer were the "perfect team" during New Yorks run that brought four titles in a five-year span. "Joe was low-keyed. Zim would get fired up. He was a bench coach for real," Steinbrenner said. "He was an extremely important part of the 1990s success." Zimmer hit 91 home runs and had 352 RBIs in 12 seasons. He started Game 7 when Brooklyn beat the Yankees for the 1955 crown and was an All-Star in 1961. The next year, he played under Stengel on the 1962 expansion Mets, who famously went 40-120. "Dont blame them all on me," Zimmer once said. "I got traded after the first 30 days." Zimmer was the 1989 NL Manager of the Year with the Cubs and was at Yankee Stadium for three perfect games, by Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series and by David Cone and David Wells in the late 1990s. "Its a sad day for the game of baseball," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said after a 3-2 loss at San Diego. "Don impacted lives from the time he put a uniform on in the minor leagues until today." Zimmer is survived by his wife; son Thomas, a scout with the San Francisco Giants; daughter Donna, and four grandchildren. David Bingham Jersey . -- First baseman Carlos Pena and outfielder Brennan Boesch have signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Angels. Tyler Boyd Jersey . Hattestad managed to avoid the carnage midway through the mens final, as a crash took out three skiers, essentially leaving two men vying for gold. The Norwegian posted a time of 3:38.39, outlasting Swedens Teodor Peterson, who took silver with a time of 3:39. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Dax-McCarty-America-Jersey/ .com) - Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar and New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo were named the NHLs players of the week on Monday. Timothy Weah USA Jersey .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. Nick Lima Jersey . In a series of tweets, it is explained by the Department of Player Safety that Niederreiter makes full body contact with Burrows and although there is head contact, he does not "pick" the head in the course of making the hit.NEW YORK -- John Wall had the swipe, then the swat. Add 21 points to Walls two big defensive plays on Deron Williams down the stretch, and the Washington Wizards won the point guard matchup -- and the game. The Wizards completed a New York sweep on Wednesday night, beating the Brooklyn Nets 113-107. Nene added 17 points in his return from injury for the Wizards, who had lost four in a row before beating the Knicks on Monday. "Coming on this trip to New York and over the bridge to Brooklyn, its huge," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Its huge." Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal each finished with 15 points for the Wizards, who got healthier during their stay in the Big Apple. Beal returned Monday after missing nine games with a stress injury to his right fibula and scored 21 points, and Nene was back Wednesday with 6-of-10 shooting off the bench after missing four games with right foot tendinitis. Paul Pierce had a season-high 27 points for the Nets, and Brook Lopez added 22 after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. Joe Johnson finished with 20. Pierce, who has been coming off the bench since returning from a broken right hand, made his first seven shots and finished 10 of 12. The Nets shot 53 per cent from the field, but the Wizards put seven players in double figures, made 12 3-pointers and outrebounded Brooklyn 51-31. "Its easy to sit here and talk to you guys about what kind of night I had, but bottom line, I really dont care. We lost the game. Thats pretty much all that matters," Pierce said. "We come out here and try to win as a team. Its not about how good Paul Pierce is scoring. Tonight we had the inability to rebound, we didnt defend the 3 and it cost us the game. Thats all that Im worried about right now." The Nets were chipping away at a 12-point deficit when Wall stopped their momentum with under 5 minutes left when he swiped the ball from Williams and went in alone for a layup to make it 99-93. Williams brought the Netss to 101-100 with a jumper, but Marcin Gortat tipped in a miss before Beals 3-pointer made it 106-100 with 1:08 to play.dddddddddddd "We just stayed calm. We weathered the storm," Wall said. "We didnt get down even when they cut it to one. Came back down and made a big play." Nene then hit two free throws on Kevin Garnetts sixth foul for an eight-point advantage, but Williams scored four straight points. He was attacking the basket again after Martell Websters free throw gave Washington a 109-104 edge, but Wall blocked the shot, Webster made two free throws and the Wizards held on. "I just knew D-Wills been playing very well since he came back from his ankle injury and I know he can definitely shoot the ball from deep," Wall said. "He attacks the basket. Hes a very tough guard. I just wanted to be physical with him and try to disrupt his rhythm." Webster finished with 13 points and Gortat had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards made seven of their first nine 3-point attempts and built a quick 11-point lead, but the Nets trailed only 30-28 after one. Washington went back up by 10 late in the half, but the Nets got the final four points to make it 59-53. Brooklyn shot 56 per cent in the first half, but Washington made up for that by going 9 of 12 from behind the arc. Williams had 15 points and 13 assists but shot just 5 of 13 from the field. Trevor Booker grabbed 13 rebounds for Washington, including nine on the offensive end. The Wizards had 19 offensive boards to five for Brooklyn. "That was it. Rebounding," Williams said. "Its been a couple of games that weve lost because of offensive rebounds. Its not just the bigs, its the guards. They shot a lot of 3s, a lot of long rebounds. So its on us, too, to get in there and rebound." NOTES: The Nets had a three-game home winning streak snapped. ... Wizards G Glen Rice had surgery in New York on a broken right wrist and will be sidelined three to six weeks. ' ' '