Bewerbungen » and Ramos watched it spin into the dirt for sever

Christian McCaffrey?will sit out Stanfords bowl game to focus on his NFL draft preparation, the star running back announced Monday on Twitter.Very tough decision, but I have decided not to play in the Sun Bowl so I can begin my draft prep immediately, McCaffrey wrote on Twitter. Thx to all my teammates for their 100% support -- It means a lot to me. Go Cardinal!No. 18 Stanford will face?North Carolina in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 30.McCaffrey announced Dec. 7 that he will forgo his senior season to enter the draft.LSU running back Leonard Fournette?and McCaffrey are two high-profile players who will sit out the bowl season. Top draft prospect Fournette, also a junior,?announced Friday?he would not play for No. 20 LSU in the?Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 against No. 13?Louisville?and instead end his college football career.We understand that this was a very difficult decision. For three years, Christian has not only been a great player, but a great teammate, as well, Stanford coach David Shaw said in a statement. We wish him great success at the next level, as we continue our preparation for the Sun Bowl.McCaffrey has a $5 million disability policy if he became injured and unable to play, which means he would collect a tax-free $5 million, a source told ESPNs Darren Rovell. He also has a $3 million?loss of value policy and could start collecting if an injury caused him to slip past the 40th overall pick, according to the source.Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith, who was seen as a possible top-five pick in the 2016 draft before suffering a knee injury in his final college game -- the Fiesta Bowl -- that pushed him out of the first round, expressed his disappointment with the players skipping their bowl games.Star running back?Ezekiel Elliott, another Cowboys rookie, disliked the players decisions.Marcus Lattimore, the former South Carolina running back who suffered a career-threatening right knee injury in his junior year just one year after tearing ligaments in his left knee, also weighed in on Twitter by supporting McCaffrey:Another likely first-round draft pick, Texas A&M star defensive end Myles Garrett, released a statement on Monday saying he is preparing to play in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl on Dec. 28.Garrett, a junior who is projected as a top-10 pick and potentially the No. 1 overall pick, hasnt yet publicly declared for the draft.Stanford sophomore wide receiver Trenton Irwin tweeted that the team supports McCaffrey.In a statement, Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said he was disappointed but understood McCaffreys decision.[McCaffrey] was hurt earlier this year, so I am sure that weighed on his decision, Olivas said. He has a tremendous NFL career ahead of him, and that might be sitting in the back of his head.McCaffrey gained 3,864 yards in 2015, breaking Barry Sanders NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yardage. He won the Associated Press National Player of the Year award and finished second in that seasons Heisman Trophy voting, behind Alabamas Derrick Henry. McCaffrey led Stanford to a 45-16 walloping of Iowa in the Rose Bowl, racking up a record 368 all-purpose yards.McCaffrey entered 2016 as a faster and stronger player than the year before. Despite a midseason injury, he again led the nation with 2,327 all-purpose yards and posted 1,603 rushing yards. His rushing average actually improved -- despite the overall decline of Stanfords offense -- from 6.0 yards per carry in 2015 to 6.3 yards per carry this season. This, combined with an increased role in the Cardinals short-yardage attack, allowed McCaffrey to showcase his full range of skills to NFL observers.He is ranked No. 28 on Todd McShays latest top 32 prospects list and is the No. 4 running back in Mel Kipers positional rankings.ESPN staff writers David Lombardi and Sam Khan contributed to this report.Keon Broxton Mets Jersey . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Pedro Martinez Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. http://www.metssale.com/mets-dwight-gooden-jersey/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Adeiny Hechavarria Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Noah Syndergaard Mets Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost.NEW YORK -- Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and the Washington Nationals stole this one from Noah Syndergaard.Harper hit two doubles and became the latest player to swipe a base against Syndergaard, helping A.J. Cole post his first major league win as the Nationals beat the New York Mets 4-1 Friday night.Washington won its fourth in a row and increased its NL East bulge over the wild card-contending Mets to 10 1/2 games.Like a lot of teams, the Nationals came out running on Syndergaard, stealing four bases in the early innings.Its all around the league that he doesnt hold runners yet, Washington manager Dusty Baker said.Tall and slow to the plate, Syndergaard has had 45 runners steal with him on the mound -- the most against any pitcher since Hideo Nomo in 2001, ESPN Stats & Info said.Baker said the strategy does more than set up runs. It also seems to rankle Syndergaard.Hes prideful, Baker said. After a steal, he added, he looks at the runner and doesnt like it very much.Only six runners have been caught with Syndergaard pitching. Before the game, Mets manager Terry Collins said Syndergaard had improved at holding runners on base.Maybe, but after Turner led off the game with a single, he stole two bases and scored on Harpers sacrifice fly.Just told myself at first to go, Turner said.With 20 steals, Turner set a Nationals-era record for most by a rookie. Hes also reached base safely in 21 straight games.Yeah, hes real fast, very aggressive, and Noahs going to have trouble with those kind of guys, Collins said.Harper doubled with one out in the fourth, stole his 19th base with two outs and came home on a single by Wilson Ramos. Harpers double set up Anthony Rendons two-run single in the ninth.The key to hitting Syndergaard, Harper said, is to not chase tough pitches he throws.Cole (1-1) gave up one run and three hits in six innings. He struck out five in his fourth big league start.This is what Ive been working toward, the 24-year-old righty said.Asdrubal Cabrera homered for the sixth time in eight games, sending a drive over the right-center wall in the Mets fourth. His 19th home run came one pitch after he hit a long fly that barely hooked foul into the upper deck in right field.Mark Rzepczynski, Koda Glover, Oliver Perez and Mark Melancon combined for three innings of scoreless relief.dddddddddddd Melancon closed for his 38th save.Syndergaard (12-8) gave up just three hits in seven innings and retired his final 10 batters.Along with shutting down the Nationals in the middle innings, Syndergaard might have shut down the crowd, too. Earlier this week, he wrote on Twitter and said on video that he wasnt a fan of fans doing the wave.Daniel Murphy singled in the ninth, and has a hit in all 14 games against the Mets this season. He also stole a base against the team he boosted to the World Series last year.TENNIS, ANYONE?The U.S. Open is being held right across the street from Citi Field, and Harper said he didnt play tennis as a kid growing up in Las Vegas. Being on the court at 120 degrees, I didnt want that, he said. But even a few years ago, tennis had a hand in his development, sort of. My dad used to pitch me tennis balls, he said. Theyre hard to square up with a bat, harder than a baseball. You have to hit them just right or you foul them off. Made for a lot of frustrating swings.COVER CHARGEMets leadoff man Jose Reyes struck out twice in going 0 for 4, but he still managed to knock the cover off the ball. Literally, he did. In the first inning, Reyes hit a foul that kept spinning quickly in the batters box, with a flap of the ball coming loose. Reyes and Ramos watched it spin into the dirt for several seconds.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (sore elbow) threw a bullpen and was feeling good, Baker said. There was no timetable for his return to the rotation, but Baker figured probably pretty soon.Mets: Collins said LHP Steven Matz (shoulder tightness) will head to the teams spring training complex in Florida after this weekend and start throwing again Monday. Matz is on the disabled list and hasnt pitched since Aug. 14.UP NEXTNationals: RHP Tanner Roark (14-7, 2.87 ERA) is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA at Citi Field in seven games, four of them starts.Mets: RHP Robert Gsellman (1-1, 3.72) makes his second major league start. Among those in attendance will be Laurie Hernandez, who won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team and will throw out the first ball. ' ' '