Breitmann Tuning » me to have a presence in the game," he said.

BEREA, Ohio - For all the adulation and attention Johnny Manziel receives, he gets almost equal doses of negativity, some of it in the form of taunts and hard tackles.Since college hes been a marked man, and its no different in the NFL.Dont think that scares him.I welcome it, the Cleveland rookie quarterback said Friday.As he prepares for his first career start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, Manziel said he understands there are always going to be those out to get him.I accept that, and Ive been a guy thats had a lot of hate spewed towards me, he said following practice. And, obviously, we saw that at (Texas) A&M, but its part of it, and you just move on from that and do what I need to do.Manziels first experience as a pro with being targeted came during an Aug. 18 exhibition game against Washington. The Redskins taunted him to the point that Manziel flipped his middle finger toward Washingtons sideline, a gesture that was captured on national TV and wound up getting him a $12,000 fine.Manziel said he learned from the incident and hes now better equipped to handle any trash talking.Im in a different place now, he said. Its not like it was in preseason. I have to have a lot better control of everything. Im under a lot more control than I was then, and I know I have a lot better control of my emotions. I know I need to go out and be the leader of this team, and regardless if Im a rookie or not, go out and try to have fun and not get caught up in any other bull crap.Browns coach Mike Pettine plans to remind Manziel to keep his composure when the Browns (7-6) face the AFC North-leading Bengals (8-4-1).It wont be anything extravagant, Pettine said, just more of, Its one play at a time and focus on the job and dont get caught up in it. Youve got to be able to compartmentalize week to week, and youve got to be able to compartmentalize play to play. Theres going to be a lot on him.Im not going to overwhelm him, but at the same time, just know that we know hes going to make mistakes, and well have his back.The Bengals have already taken a swipe at Manziel as Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis called the 6-footer a midget this week. Lewis has since apologized several times, but his barb may be indicative of a general feeling about the hyped rookie around the rest of the league.Everybodys gunning for him, Pettine said. I guarantee everybody that sacks him is going to stand over him and make the money sign, Pettine said. That comes with it. But his best thing is not to get caught up in it. Hes got to go out and execute. And when a plays over, its over, and you have to move on to the next one.Hes no stranger to it. But thats the price that he has to pay for being who he is and what he brings with him, the reputation that he brings with him to the NFL.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Stitched Mariners Jerseys . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Mariners Jerseys China . In Englands first game since its worst-ever World Cup showing, Roy Hodgsons side rarely looked like scoring against unambitious opposition and the breakthrough in the friendly only came when Raheem Sterling was tripped in the penalty area. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. Seattle Mariners Pro Shop . -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wanted to keep Logan Mankins with the team for a long time. Seattle Mariners Gear .She struggled with a hacking cough, she was sick, and she twice celebrated too early, but she held her composure in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Saturday.On her third match point, she let her racket go before hearing a let call to what she thought was an ace.TORONTO - When Greivis Vasquez was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, selected with the 28th overall pick in 2010, he joined an emerging Western Conference power. At the time of the selection, the Grizzlies were coming off a promising campaign, the first for frontcourt duo Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph together in Memphis. Helmed by now former coach Lionel Hollins, the 2010-11 Grizzlies were one of the most improved teams in the league, building a defensive foundation that sticks with them to this day while finishing 10 games over .500, defeating the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and taking the Thunder to seven games in the Conference Semifinals. Vasquez, a 24-year-old, Venezuelan-born rookie from the University of Maryland, was along for the ride. He played in 70 regular season games, backing up Mike Conley and helping the Grizzlies snap a four-year playoff draught - appearing in 13 postseason contests - before being traded to New Orleans ahead of the following, lockout shortened campaign. Memphis has not missed the postseason since. "Ive got respect for them because they gave me an opportunity to be in this league," said the fourth-year point guard, poised to make his second postseason appearance with the Raptors next month. "Thats a tough team to beat," he continued following his new teams impressive 99-86 win over the one that drafted him. "We beat a playoff team and that was a good win for us at home." Aside from new coach Dave Joerger - a former assistant under Hollins - and last years trade of Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies havent changed much. Theyre still a defensive juggernaut - ranked third in opponent points per game, just ahead of the Raptors - and they still feature the daunting interior pair of Gasol and Randolph. They still embody physical, hard-nosed, playoff-calibre basketball and the Raptors - looking ahead to their own postseason birth - took it right to them. It was another valuable test for Dwane Caseys team, not unlike the one they failed in Brooklyn earlier this week, but this time they passed with flying colours. "I dont mean this in a bad way with Memphis because I love the style of defence they play," Casey said, "but the only way you can challenge a bully is if you hit them first." "I dont think we did that in the first quarter," Casey said in reference to Torontos timid start. "We did in the second quarter and they responded. Youve got to have a physical mentality against a team like that and I thought our guys did that after the first quarter." Vasquez had a lot to do with that turnaround. He may not be the fastest, the quickest or the strongest but there are few who play the game harder. His energy was infectious, as it tends to be, when he entered the game late in the first quarter and it carried over into the second, where the Raptors ended the half on a 19-6 run. About 30 minutes later he changed the game again, this time for good. With the score knotted up at 80, midway through the fourth, Vasquez knocked down a 27-foot pull-up three. As the Grizzlies came up the floor, he picked off a pass and went coast-to-coast for layup. It was the biggest sequence oof the night, ironically initiating a second 19-6 run to close out the victory.dddddddddddd "Obviously physicality is going to be the big factor [in the playoffs]," said Vasquez, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and six assists Friday. "We play physical, we punch teams and we let them know that its not going to be easy for any team to come to our house and beat us like that and thats what we did tonight." Usually relegated to 17-22 minutes per night, mostly playing in the understudy role to starter Kyle Lowry, Vasquez logged 28. With the Grizzlies playing small in the backcourt, Casey was able to pair Vasquez and Lowry for over eight minutes in both the second and fourth quarters. With the two point guards sharing the court for 19 minutes, the Raptors scored 23 points more than they allowed. Playing alongside the other, both Vasquez and Lowry were at their best on this night. Lowry - who totalled 22 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists - was able to play off the ball and spot up for jumpers, while Vasquez could get in the lane and facilitate with more space. For Vasquez - as he realizes - the obvious benefit to spending more time on the floor with Lowry is spending more time on the floor, period. "I think we should do it more often if you ask me but Im not the head coach," Vasquez said. "[Coach is] doing a great job leading us to win games. Obviously Coach Casey is an outstanding coach and today he gave me a chance to come off the bench and play with a rhythm and I got the job done." Vasquez, a starter in New Orleans last season, has seen sporadic playing time since arriving in the trade from Sacramento. Generally, when he has played more he has played well but the opportunity for playing time at the position is scarce. It is what it is, as Casey would say. Lowry is playing at an extremely high level and pairing them together is something that can only work in long stretches if the matchup permits it. "When I play regular minutes it allows me to have a presence in the game," he said. "A lot of times its really, really hard coming off the bench and just being effective or having a presence in the game real quick." For the most part, the Raptors have had success playing Lowry and Vasquez together this season, keeping in mind its only been done in favourable situations. In 346 minutes with the two point guards on the floor, the Raptors have outscored their opponents by 102 total points, per NBA.com/stats. With Casey looking to manufacture some rest for Lowry over the final five weeks of the season, playing him off the ball more often could be the solution. "Its easier for me," said Lowry, asked about playing alongside Vasquez, "because weve got a guy who is going to look for me and who can make the play. He gives me a chance to rest and hang out and shoot open threes. When hes playing like that, were a pretty good team." Vasquez and Jonas Valanciunas - who scored a season-high 23 points - both came up big for Torontos offence with Memphis elite perimeter defence locked into DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross. The Raptors two wing players shot a combined 6-for-16 Friday. ' ' '