tandings in recent editions.Japan has set an ambitious goal of third place on the table in Tokyo, a vast improvement on its 11th place at London in 2012.The goals are set out in th

NEW YORK -- As Jose Reyes jogged off the Citi Field diamond for the final time in 2011, he hoped it would not be the last time he would do so as a member of the New York Mets.He could not have imagined the circumstances that would surround his next appearance with the Mets.Reyes is expected to make his equally anticipated and controversial return to the Mets on Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins -- the team with whom Reyes signed a six-year contract following the 2011 season and the team that traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays after just one season in southern Florida.That Reyes is reuniting with the Mets against the Marlins will barely qualify as a subplot Tuesday. Reyes, who signed with the Mets as a 16-year-old in 1999 and made four All-Star teams while winning three National League stolen base crowns and one batting title during nine campaigns in New York, was suspended for the first 51 games of this season following an arrest on domestic violence charges in Hawaii last Halloween.Reyes wife, Katherine, accused Reyes of grabbing her by the throat before shoving her into a sliding glass door. Charges were dropped after she didnt cooperate with authorities.The Colorado Rockies, who acquired Reyes from the Blue Jays last July 28, designated him for assignment June 15 and released him 10 days later. The Mets, in need of a spark plug atop the lineup and a third baseman after David Wright underwent neck surgery, signed him to a minor league deal almost immediately.From a motivational standpoint, I dont think we would be able to find a player who is more determined, more highly motivated, to perform than Jose is today, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said during a conference call June 25. Part of that is coming home. Part of thats looking for vindication. Part of that is probably hoping to get past all the problems hes faced since the offseason -- problems he deserved to face.While Reyes will certainly be motivated, the Mets have no idea what kind of reception hell get, or what kind of production hell provide. He stole 24 bases last season but batted just .274 with a .310 on-base percentage and a .378 slugging percentage -- his lowest figures in each category since 2005.In addition, Reyes -- who will be making his major league debut at third base -- batted just .176 with no homers, two RBI and one stolen base in nine games for Double-A Binghamton. The Mets are banking on Reyes kicking into another gear once hes under the brighter lights.What he brings to the baseball field is something that could really be a kind of pick me up for this team and the fans, Wright said last week. The fans get into it, it kind of rubs off on the team.Mets left-hander Steven Matz is scheduled to take the mound against Marlins left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. Matz is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in two career starts against the Marlins while Chen is facing the Mets for the first time.The Mets came back from an early six-run deficit to win Mondays series opener, 8-6. New York (45-37) is 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the race for the first NL wild card spot and four games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East.Miami (43-40) is in fourth place in the wild card race, 2 1/2 games behind the Mets.Youth Air Max Sale . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Cheap Blue Air Max . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. http://www.airmax2018sale.us/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Mens Air Max 90 . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Air Max Store .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena.TOKYO -- Theyve set up the elite academy, set in motion the Gold Plan and expect Kohei Uchimura to deliver three medals of that color in Rio de Janeiro next month, all part of the Japanese Olympic Committees ambitious program leading into Tokyo 2020.Japan is sending 331 athletes to Rio, the countrys third-largest delegation at the Olympics after Tokyo in 1964 and Beijing in 2008, and has targeted 14 gold medals -- double its tally from London four years ago.Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Olympics hammer throw gold medalist who is now sports director for the 2020 Tokyo organizing committee, says Japans performance in Rio will be vital in paving the way for success on home soil in the subsequent Summer Games.Rio is a very important moment for us, Murofushi told The Associated Press. If the athletes do well in Rio, then more attention would be coming from the public, and then, throughout Tokyo 2020. So it is very important for athletes to compete well.Japan is anticipating strong performances in mens gymnastics with London gold medalist Kohei Uchimura projected to win three golds. Other gold medal hopefuls include wrestlers Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho and swimmer Kosuke Hagino.The expectation is that success in Rio will carry over to Tokyo. Host countries have done well on the medal standings in recent editions.Japan has set an ambitious goal of third place on the table in Tokyo, a vast improvement on its 11th place at London in 2012.The goals are set out in the JOC Gold Plan,, designed to improve Japans international competitiveness.ddddddddddddA key component of that is the creation of a national youth development program called the JOC Elite Academy to identify and prepare young athletes for the Tokyo Olympics in four years.Those games are sure to have a different look than Rio. For starters, there could be five new sports added to the program under the International Olympic Committees new rules that allow a host city to propose sports.Baseball-softball, surfing, skateboarding, karate and sports climbing have been recommended for inclusion, with a decision expected from the IOC next month.While Murofushi welcomes the return of baseball and softball, which are hugely popular in Japan, the 41-year-old former Olympian says hes especially excited about new sports making a debut in Tokyo.I was a skateboarding kid too, Murofushi said. Think about the skateboarding kids doing tricks on the streets -- once they announce that in the Olympics there will be skateboarding, I know they will be so crazy and excited.While the 1964 Games were largely about Japan returning to the global stage as an economic power, 2020 will be a showcase of high-tech, safety and organizational efficiency.Tokyo is a very secure and safe city, Murofushi said. So I know that athletes will enjoy both the competition scene and when theyre relaxing. ' ' '