Funkerstation » moving.With just three months of full-speed training

NEW YORK -- If the New York Yankees reach the playoffs, theyll long remember this catch by Brett Gardner.Two outs in the ninth inning, bases loaded, one-run lead. Does it get much better?Gardner made a leaping grab at the top of the left-field wall, clutching the ball as he banged into the fence on Justin Smoaks drive for the final out, and the Yankees held off AL East-leading Toronto 7-6 Tuesday night.I knew I was going to be able to catch up to it and get to it, I just didnt know if I was going to run out of room or not, Gardner said.I knew it was going to be close to the wall -- thank goodness it wasnt much higher. Im not too tall and I wasnt going to be able to jump a whole lot higher, he said.A scrambly September game with October implications seesawed to the last swing, and turned at the end in favor of the Yankees. New York won its third in a row and sent the Blue Jays to their fourth loss in five games.At a season-high seven games over .500, the Yankees closed within 4 1/2 games of first place, their smallest deficit since April, and remained 3 1/2 back for the ALs second wild card.The Blue Jays had already scored twice in the ninth off Dellin Betances when they loaded the bases with one out. Blake Parker, the eighth New York pitcher, suddenly became an unlikely closer, and he struck out Kevin Pillar.Smoak was up next -- in August 2015, he became the first Toronto player ever to hit a grand slam in the Bronx.This time, he sliced a deep shot to left.Thought it might have had a chance, Smoak said, later adding, put a good swing on it, barreled it.But Gardner ran back, squared himself on the warning track and jumped high and back into the padding. He held on for the catch, immediately leaped in the air to celebrate and tossed the ball high.I think as the ball went in to my glove, my glove hit the wall. And on a play like that, you want to make sure the ball goes in the glove before you hit the wall, he said.The Yankees rushed out to congratulate him and a few minutes later, a replay of the catch drew another ovation from the fans.The 29-year-old Smoak and 33-year-old Gardner know each other from growing up in South Carolina.Hes an old man, Smoak said, smiling.Tyler Austins two-run homer in the seventh off AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez put the Yankees ahead 3-2. Pillar lined a two-out, two-run double in the eighth that gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 edge.The Yankees then rallied for four runs in their half for a 7-4 lead, capped by Chase Headleys two-run homer. The drive off Jason Grilli (5-5) left the reliever bent over at the mound in frustration.With the Yankees running out of time to chase a playoff spot, manager Joe Girardi spared no expense with his staff. Chasen Shreve (2-1) wound up with the win and Parker got his first save since 2013 with the Cubs.Betances made it interesting in the ninth, walking the first two batters while working his third straight day. Edwin Encarnacion and Melvin Upton got RBI singles on infield hits to pull Toronto within a run.Encarnacion hit his 37th homer into the second deck for Toronto and tied his career high with 111 RBI. He started the day tied with Angels slugger Albert Pujols for the league lead in RBI.Playing on his 25th birthday and batting ninth, Austin sliced a two-out drive to right-center. His only other homer came on Aug. 13 in his first major league at-bat.Brian McCann also homered for the Yankees.Little did anyone know what was on deck. In a game of timely hits, it was Gardners defensive play that thrilled the Yankees.Sheer joy, Parker said.NY NUMBERSThe Yankees had lost five straight home series to Toronto before winning the first two games in this three-game set. ... Austin became the first Yankees player to homer on his birthday since Alex Rodriguez last year. ... Rookie Gary Sanchez has reached base in 21 straight games.UP NEXTBlue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (9-6, 4.58) has allowed eight earned runs in 12 innings over his last two starts.Yankees: RHP Bryan Mitchell was promoted from Triple-A before the game and is likely to make his Yankees debut this year, starting vs. Toronto. He injured a toe in spring training and missed most of this season. Hes 0-3 in stints the past two years with New York. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Cheap Soccer Jerseys .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.cheapsoccerjerseyschina.net/ . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). Soccer Jerseys From China . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Jamie Hagiya stood in line with her opponents at the California CrossFit regional in May, waiting to hear who qualified for the upcoming CrossFit Games.The Games, which begin Tuesday and run through July 24 in Carson, California, feature 40 of the fittest women in the world. Only five would be selected from the California regional, and this was Hagiyas fourth attempt to make the cut.In first ... Lauren Fisher! an announcer howled. In second ... Rebecca Voigt! In third ... Alessandra Pichelli! In fourth ... Chyna Cho!Hagiya cheered and clapped with all her might. There was one spot left.And your fifth athlete going to Carson, California ... Jamie Hagiya!Sitting on a couch last month at Californias Torrance CrossFit, where she is a co-owner and coach, the 31-year-old Hagiya replays the video of her name being called. She is beaming. Her face lights up, bright as her turquoise muscle tank. Thats a moment Ill never forget, Hagiya says. One of the best moments of my life.Hagiya spent most of her life as a basketball player, whipping the ball up the court to lead Southern Californias fast break from 2003 to 2007.Shes found new purpose with CrossFit, qualifying for regionals five straight years in a competition that tests speed, strength, power, agility, endurance and pretty much any other athletic quality imaginable.It allowed me a second chance to be an athlete again.This is my new loveDuring Hagiyas first basketball game in first grade, she scored bucket after bucket while the kids around her giggled and ran aimlessly around the court. Hagiya subbed out. Then they started losing, said her father, Grant Hagiya. So they put her right back in and she started scoring baskets again.But no matter how many shots Hagiya drained as she got older, few believed in her dream to play Division I college basketball. She was doubted, she said, because she was 5-foot-3 and Japanese-American.They said Im too small, Id never play, Hagiya said. I said, Oh forget that. I know I can play.She happened to find her way into an exposure camp with staff from USC in attendance. And the Trojans offered Hagiya her only scholarship.Hagiya fought to earn starts -- out-squatting mens basketball players and defending women a foot taller. Once, she challenged teammate Shay Murphy to eight games of one-on-one, refusing to quit until she won. Ultimately she reached sixth on USCs all-time list for career assists.Shes always had to work for everything in her life, said Murphy, who has played in the WNBA and overseas. She was always told she was too short or not the right skin color or she doesnt have a name to do anything. That drove her.Hagiya learned work ethic from her grandparents, who were imprisoned in internment camps in Wyoming and Arkansas during World War II. They got everything taken away from them. They had to move and they still didnt complain about it. They just worked hard, Hagiya said.Hagiya eventually played professionally in Greece and Spain. She tried out for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012. She gave it her all -- swinging the extra pass, nailing the open jumper, stealing the ball.But she didnt make the team.She knew she had reached the end of the road with hoops, but nothing prepares a player for that. If you love it so much and put so muchh time and effort into it, its like a relationship ending -- a marriage or something, she said.ddddddddddddShe was disappointed, but she knew something better was near.A few months earlier, she had hosted a basketball clinic for girls when one of the participants father, who owns a CrossFit gym, suggested she try the program.Her first CrossFit session? I died, Hagiya said, recalling the Jackie workout: 1,000-meter row, 50 thrusters and 30 pull-ups. But she kept coming back. I love competition, Hagiya said. It brought that back out of me again.My buddy called me and said, Do you love this? It looks like you love this. Im like, I do, Hagiya said. Nothing will ever compare to basketball, but because that time has passed and Ive accepted that and moved on, this is my new love and I love it.The comeback kidSoon, Hagiya was nipping at the heels of SoCals top CrossFitters. She qualified for regionals in 2012 (but couldnt compete because of a torn hamstring), 2013 and 2014. She just missed the cut for the Games in 13 and 14, finishing fifth both years (only the top three qualified then).She knew she was so close and she knew she belonged with the other girls at that stage, said Andy Paik, a Torrance CrossFit coach. She wanted to prove herself.But in June 2014, Hagiyas rise was halted. On a set of 30-inch box jumps during an exhibition in Las Vegas, she felt as if someone had hit the back of her heel with a barbell. She looked behind her but saw no one was there. She had torn her Achilles, and she had surgery a few days later.Hagiya was devastated. She had to depend on others, unable to walk to pour herself a glass of water. One day she heard one too many its-going-to-be-OKs and walked outside to her car and broke down. Its not fine! Im not OK! she screamed amid tears. This sucks! I dont want to hear its OK!But inspired by NBA star Kobe Bryants recovery from his Achilles injury a year earlier, she committed to strengthening herself through daily rehab. You dry your tears and youre like, Tomorrows a new day, Hagiya said. Lets keep moving.With just three months of full-speed training, Hagiya qualified for 2015 regionals. The SoCal CrossFit community dubbed her the the comeback kid, and many donned T-shirts with the slogan.But Hagiya finished 20th. She knew qualifying was an achievement, but she was disappointed. She wanted more.This years regionals, she felt relaxed. I believe in myself. I know I can do this, she said to herself. Im just going to do my best and whatever happens, happens.The road was not easy. On two events on the final day of competition, she finished 13th and 17th. She had one event left to redeem herself. I had to pull myself together and just go out there and perform, Hagiya said.She came back to finish second in the final event -- a combination of 65-pound thrusters and legless rope climbs -- beating out last years California regional champion, Brooke Ence, for the fifth and final spot at the Games.I was getting so close, so close, so close, Hagiya said. Thats why this year it meant so much to me. I had been trying for so long.I was proud I endured all of that and kept on going. ' ' '