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CLEVELAND -- As the Indians prepare for their first World Series appearance in 19 years, Jonathan Lucroy looks on from afar, with no regrets that he missed out on an opportunity to be part of the teams deep October run.Lucroy, a two-time All-Star catcher with the Milwaukee Brewers, was on the verge of being traded to the Indians at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but he blocked the deal by invoking a no-trade clause in his contract. The Brewers changed course and traded Lucroy to Texas, where he hit .276 with 11 home runs and an .885 OPS in 47 games. But the Rangers were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series after leading the league with 94 regular-season victories.As the Indians move on, Lucroy refuses to second-guess his decision.Im good, man, Lucroy told ESPN in a text message Monday. Theres too much drama with all that. Im not worried about it at all. Its over with and in the past.Lucroy, who has a $5.25 million club option for 2017, outlined the reasoning behind his decision in a first-person account to ESPN The Magazines Robert Sanchez in early August. He said the decision to reject the trade to Cleveland was an economic decision. Period. But he was cast as a villain in Cleveland, and Indians backup catcher Chris Gimenez made some comments shortly after the deadline that look prescient in hindsight.Even though he plays my position, hes definitely an upgrade, Gimenez told reporters after the Lucroy trade failed to materialize. It would be ridiculous to say that he wasnt. At the same time, we feel pretty strongly about the guys we have here, too. Unfortunately, he chose not to be a part of it. Hopefully, we can win the World Series and well be laughing at him. The Indians had problems at the catching spot all season. Yan Gomes hit .167 in 74 games and barely played after mid-July because of a separated shoulder and a broken right hand.Roberto Perez, anointed Clevelands starting catcher in October after hitting .183 during the regular season, played a pivotal role in the American League playoffs. Perez earned praise from the Indians pitchers for his defensive work and contributed several big hits even though he batted only .174 against Boston and Toronto.Roberto is below the radar, but he shouldnt be, said Indians reliever Andrew Miller. Hes incredible with his ability to receive the ball and call pitches, and hes a better hitter than he gets credit for. What a special guy back there.Cheap NBA Jerseys . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Discount NBA Jerseys . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. NBA Jerseys Outlet . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends.GENEVA -- After declaring FIFAs image crisis over four months ago, questions are being raised about Gianni Infantino as he heads to world soccers next big election.The FIFA president will be a guest in Athens on Wednesday as his former UEFA colleagues vote to replace Michel Platini, who was ousted after the FIFA ethics committee banned him for taking a $2 million payment from Sepp Blatter.The favorite to become the next UEFA president is Aleksander Ceferin of Slovenia, who was so little known before the campaign that many wonder if Infantino and his staff have intervened to support him. Ceferin will be up against UEFA vice president Michael van Praag of the Netherlands, an outspoken critic of Blatter in recent years.I am neutral. The FIFA president is neutral in any election at confederation level, Infantino said. This is very clear.Infantino said his staff also has not acted, dismissing reports in Dutch and Scandinavian media that one of his FIFA advisers, who is from Norway, has lobbied for Ceferin. Van Praag reportedly sought a meeting in May in Milan to ask Infantino if he had chosen sides.Ceferins campaign for UEFA president emerged in May, soon after Infantino joined his former UEFA colleagues on a trip to Slovenia to open a national soccer center. Weeks later, FIFA appointed Tomaz Vesel as an independent auditor overseeing its billion-dollar annual income -- and Infantinos salary and bonuses. Vesel is also from Slovenia and plays on a veterans soccer team with Ceferin.Mark Pieth, a former FIFA reform adviser, said he was skeptical of claims that Infantino has changed the FIFA culture after years of scandal and murky decision-making.There is no `new FIFA, Pieth told The Associated Press. Its a bit of a variation on what we have been used to. Here, its blatant cronyism.UEFA is the richest and most influential of soccers six continental bodies. It organizes the Champions League, which showcases most of the worlds best players. The European Championship draws a global TV audience for the final that is more than double that of the Super Bowl.The next UEFA president will serve the final 2+ years of Platinis term. The winner also becomes a FIFA vice president, helps shape strategy in the FIFA Council, and supports Infantino in urgent rulings made by the connfederation heads.ddddddddddddInfantino came to power after a cycle of turmoil that started in May 2015 when American and Swiss federal authorities revealed an investigation into bribery and corruption. A generation of FIFA leaders were removed from office, including Blatter and one-time protege Platini.Van Praag, a former club president of four-time European champion Ajax, is an election veteran compared to Ceferin. He opposed Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 2015, defying a UEFA strategy to unseat the incumbent but struggled to get support from his colleagues. He withdrew days before the vote, leaving Prince Ali of Jordan as the sole challenger.Ceferin, a criminal lawyer, joined the board of Olimpija Ljubljana before being elected Slovenian soccer federation president in 2011. He later joined the FIFA disciplinary committee.The 48-year-old Ceferin is untainted by FIFAs past excesses, but his clear link to Vesel, the governing bodys new audit and compliance committee chairman, has caused concern.FIFA rules state the job of overseeing how it earns and spends its World Cup revenue can only go to a person with no material financial relationship to a member federation. It was done until May by Domenico Scala, a pharmaceutical industry executive who resigned amid disputes with Infantino, including a no-bonus rule for the president.Vesel, however, could within days be responsible for setting the FIFA salary of his teammate on the soccer team in the Slovene capital.Pieth, a compliance expert, said the Slovenia link was less camouflaged than in the Blatter era.There is a personal friendship, Pieth told the AP. Theres not a general rule against that kind of thing but its simple patronage. Its clear.Infantino dismissed such doubts when asked if the institutional independence of Vesel, Slovenias state auditor, could be compromised by his connection to Ceferin.Everyone plays football, everybody loves football, Infantino said last week. Its good that people (who) love football work in football as well.I just hope that the one who will be elected will work in a positive way with me as well, Infantino added. A strong FIFA needs a strong UEFA. ' ' '