Baseballs 2016 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In unfamiliar territory in November, Minnesota has a piece of the lead in the Big Ten West and faces tough opponents in the final stretch.Tied with Nebraska and Wisconsin atop the division at 4-2, Minnesota closes out the regular season on the road against the No. 21 Cornhuskers, hosts Northwestern and travels to the No. 7 Badgers.Minnesota is 7-2 overall and has won four straight, with the losses coming against Penn State and Iowa. The Gophers have yet to play a ranked team. Still, win out and theyll be in the Big Ten Championship game for the first time.The Gophers havent even won a share of the Big Ten since 1967. They got close in 2014 when they went into the final game with a chance to go to the championship game, but were denied by Wisconsin.Weve got a great group of seniors, and we felt like if we played well we could get to November and be in that discussion still, Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference.It makes it exciting to get into November and you still have a chance, he said. I figured with the West teams playing five road games that the winner was probably going to have two losses. We burnt ours up right away in those first two, but our kids have responded and just kept fighting and winning each week.BANGED UPNorthwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald noted how the road gets tougher in November when players are getting banged up and worn down. The Wildcats (4-5, 3-3 Big Ten) dropped a 21-7 game against Wisconsin last Saturday, one week after taking Ohio State down to the final drive before losing 24-20.Everybody goes to November beat up mentally and physically, and it comes down to which team shows up physically, mentally and executes in November, Fitzgerald said. Its not a sexy time of the year, man, this is grind it out, get it done, and obviously were off to a slow start losing our last two.He said November is where depth often gets tested because of injuries.I think some schools have a few more bullets than maybe other schools, and you have to find a way just to get one more play and find a way to win, he said.BADGERS TWEETWisconsin coach Paul Chryst said he was proud of the players who took to Twitter on Monday to post a statement about racial injustices on campus. That message came after the game on Oct. 29 Wisconsin when a fan donned a Halloween costume depicting President Barack Obama with a noose around his neck.The statement was shared by several black players on the team along with other black student-athletes. In part, it read: This incident was yet another blow and reminder that there are people in this community that may not value diverse populations.Weve got smart student-athletes and I applaud them for expressing themselves, and the way they did it, Chryst said. And I think a lot of thought went into it, and its out of love and respect for this university. They want to make it better, and I admire them. Its not easy, right? They could just sit back and say, `Its not my job, its not my responsibility.ARMSTRONGS STATUSNebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr.s status for Saturdays game against Minnesota is questionable after apparently suffering a concussion last week against Ohio State.Armstrong was knocked out briefly during the second quarter after his head bounced off the turf while being tackled by Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. He was strapped to a backboard and taken to a hospital. He returned to the sidelines in street clothes in the third quarter.Tommys doing well, but as we all know he will go through that whole protocol (for) a head injury, and we dont know what that means yet as far as being available for the weekend, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said. It goes through the process, and well go day by day with it.So far, its pretty well on track. So were hopeful, but were not for sure at all.--More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Cheap . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Vapormax Plus Wholesale . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/air-max-plus-tn-cheap/tns-black-discount.html . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Air Max Plus Store . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Vapormax Plus Clearance . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Kenley Jansen and the?Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal, a Dodgers source confirmed to ESPNs Jim Bowden on Monday.Jansen had a trio of teams chasing him as finalists for his services: the?Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins?and Dodgers. League sources told Bowden that Jansen had better offers from both the Nationals and Marlins but wanted to stay home and was willing to take less to do it.Jansens deal is the second-largest free-agent reliever contract in history, behind Aroldis Chapmans five-year, $86 million deal with the Yankees from last week.Jansen recorded 47 saves in 71 appearances for the Dodgers in 2016, finishing the year with a 1.83 ERA. He was the recipient of Major League Baseballs 2016 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award.After a June 20 save against the Washington Nationals, Jansen became the all-time saves leader in Dodgers history, passing Eric Gagnes previous record of 161.dddddddddddd Jansen finished the year with 189 saves. His 632 strikeouts as a reliever also passed Jim Brewers club record of 604.Using his overpowering cut fastball, Jansen struck out 104 batters and walked just 11 in 68 2/3 innings this past season, posting a major-league-leading 0.67 WHIP. His 9.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio was best in the National League.Jansen, who was converted from a catcher to a reliever by the Dodgers while still in the minor leagues, was the anchor of the teams bullpen that registered franchise records in both innings pitched (590 2/3) and appearances (607). Both numbers led the major leagues.ESPNs Doug Padilla contributed to this report. ' ' '