he was two years younger than everybody else and

The Texas Rangers hired Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Jeff Banister as their new manager.Banister got the nod over two other finalists, interim manager Tim Bogar and Cleveland Indians bullpen coach Kevin Cash.General manager Jon Daniels said Thursday night that Banister won over the Rangers during the interview process. Daniels described Banister as the best fit for a team that quickly wants to recreate a winning culture after its most losses since 1985.Jeff really impressed us across the board, Daniels said. From people that he works with now with the Pirates, the people that used to work there, and players that hes had recently and some years back, stars as well as role players, and everyone came back with the desire to win, a love for the game, the love for people, the ability to reach people, the ability to connect with a variety of people, an interest in learning more.Banister will be formally introduced as Ron Washingtons replacement during a news conference Friday at the Rangers ballpark.The 50-year-old Banister has been Pittsburghs bench coach for manager Clint Hurdle the past four years and in the Pirates organization for 29 seasons. Hurdle was the Rangers hitting coach when they went to their first World Series in 2010.The entire Pirates organization is extremely proud of Jeff and happy for him and his family. We believe it will be an excellent fit for him and the Texas Rangers, Hurdle said in a statement. He has been an instrumental reason for the success the Pirates organization has had over the course of his tenure with the ballclub.Pirates GM Neal Huntington thanked Banister for his long-standing impact and dedication. His leadership, character, work ethic, knowledge of the game, energy and passion made us better every day he was a Pirate.Bogar was the perceived front-runner after leading the Rangers to a 14-8 record to end the regular season following Washingtons sudden resignation Sept. 5 for personal reasons. Bogar was in his first season as Rangers bench coach. He still has a year left on his contract.Daniels said Bogar was understandably disappointed about not getting the job.The GM said he would be comfortable with Bogar remaining if everybody felt good about the situation, but said the next step would be for Banister to reach out to the staff. That includes pitching coach Mike Maddux, who was one of the other internal candidates interviewed for the job.As for anyone joining Bannister from the Pirates, Daniels said that seemed unlikely.Daniels joined Texas in 2002 and became GM after the 2005 season. A year later, he made his first managerial move, replacing the fired Buck Showalter with Washington and going through the most successful stretch in team history.Like Banister, Washington was an unexpected finalist, a baseball lifer who won over Daniels and the Rangers during interviews.After back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 11, the Rangers finished 67-95 this season — their most losses since 1985. They were plagued by injuries, playing most of the season without new slugger Prince Fielder and finishing the year without Yu Darvish and Shin-Soo Choo, among many others.It was the first time in five seasons that the Rangers played only 162 games. After consecutive American League pennants, they played in the AL wild-card game in 2012 and a wild-card tiebreaker in 2013.Until Washington unexpectedly resigned, the plan was for him to return in 2015 for his ninth season as Rangers manager.Texas interviewed eight candidates in their search that Daniels said started without about 40 names.Maddux and Triple-A manager Steve Buechele sat down with team officials after the season ended. Boston bench coach Torey Lovullo, Chicago White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing and former major leaguer Alex Cora, an executive in the Puerto Rico winter league, also interviewed before the three finalists were announced this week.Banister, who was born in Oklahoma but went to high school, junior college and college in Texas, was drafted in the 25th round by the Pirates in 1986. The catcher played only one game in the major leagues, getting a pinch-hit single in his only at-bat on July 23, 1991.Banister, a 1982 graduate of LaMarque High in Texas, overcame bone cancer and a bone/bone marrow infection to play baseball. While at Baytown Junior College in Texas, he was left temporarily paralyzed from the neck down after his vertebrae was crushed in a home-plate collision.Hes a winner, hes a survivor, in every sense of the word, Daniels said.His coaching career began as a player-coach with Double-A Carolina in 1993, and his first managerial job was in the New York-Penn League in 1994. He had a 299-330 record in five seasons as a minor league manager, before serving as field co-ordinator at the big league level for the Pirates from 1999-2002 and then as the clubs minor league field co-ordinator for eight years after that. Gary Zimmerman Jersey . LeBron James leads the Miami Heat in a quest for three consecutive championship titles, while Tim Duncan looks to add his fifth ring with the San Antonio Spurs when the series tips off with Game 1: Miami @ San Antonio on Thursday, June 5 at 9 p. Karl Mecklenburg Jersey . -- Jonathan Vilmas season is over and his future on the football field is in doubt. http://www.officialdenverbroncospro.com/Phillip-lindsay-broncos-jersey/ .A. Happ? Happs seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss record is an antiquated stat, sure, but win total is generally an indication of a pitchers ability to work deep into games, enough to be personally affected by the result. Joe Flacco Jersey . If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. Denver Broncos Jerseys . -- Even as Chris Paul remained evasive about his future, he did what team leaders are expected to do.The Canadian national junior team was shut out of a medal for the first time in 15 years in Ufa, Russia last year and have gone without gold since 2009 in Ottawa. Its a different approach for Hockey Canada this year, with 25 players invited to the World Junior Selection Camp and 22 making the team. With the roster virtually set, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button was on TSN Radio 1050 and Off The Record on Tuesday to dissect the strengths and weakness of the team. "Depth and wealth of winning experience, not just internationally but within their own leagues," Button said of this years teams strengths. "You have players who have won Memorial Cups, participated in Memorials Cups, as well as winning gold medals at the international level. When you go into this type of tournament, you need players who will not capsize when you get into the rough patches. They have too many players who have been through it and succeeded." Asked how much can we expect from youngster Conner McDavid and how he will look away from his OHL club, the Erie Otters, and play with the elite players, Button said he wouldnt underestimate the 16-year-old. "Last April at the Under-18 tournament, he was two years younger than everybody else and was probably two times better than everybody there," said Button. "He was the best player by far. You are talking about a young man who is 16-years-old that understands a couple of things that go beyond the obvious skill. He understands the situations he is in and understands how to play them, given his capabilities and understanding that he is a little bit younger and that this is an elite level of hockey. "Connor McDavid can play defence, he can play two-ways, he can score, and he can set up plays. I dont want to start saying expect the earth, the moon, and the stars from him, but I can tell you this; Connor McDavid is more than capable at this level and is playing very well." McDavid is considered an OHL phenom, who was drafted first overall in the 2012 OHL entry draft and scored 66 points for the Otters in 63 games during his rookie season. The Richmond Hill, ON, native already has 45 points in 27 games with the Otters this season. Notable players who were not named to the selection camp include Max Domi, who was selected 112th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes, and Darnell Nurse, selected seventh overall by the Edmonton Oilers in this years draft.dddddddddddd Button pointed out that neither are the first to not get invited to a team or make the team as 18-year-olds, and that its not the end of the world for them. "I am still high on (Domi) and if there were 38 players invited, we would not be having this discussion. The next discussion would be; can he make the team?" said Button. "Head coach Brent Sutter really understands what he wants and who he feels fits his team. When they hired Sutter, everybody knew the deal. I dont want to suggest he is black and white because that is not the right way to put it, but he is very clear about where he wants players to play, how he wants them to play, and the types of players that fit. "There are a lot of really good players who did not get invited and when you have only 25 players invited that is what is going to happen," continued Button. "For Sutter, Canada has not won a gold medal in a number of years, so with a lack of success, so to speak, some changes come and certainly Sutter has instituted that." On the teams weakness, Button said there are few. He said the defence needs to learn how to play as a group and as pairs. "You have to defend on the big ice and you have to be able to transition quickly on the big ice. Sutter is perfectly suited to doing that. He has always had success with a group of defenceman and they are going to be key to this teams success." Sutter will need to release two forwards and one defenceman from the selection camp roster before the tournament begins. TSNs World Junior coverage continues on Wednesday with the World Junior Countdown Show at 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. James Duthie hosts the 30-minute special alongside Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, as they set the table for Team Canadas selection camp, which kicks off on Dec. 12. Duthie and McKenzie will break down, position by position, how the team might look. TSN has complete live coverage of the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, with pre-competition games beginning Friday, Dec. 20. Follow the World Juniors tournament with multi-platform coverage on TSN, TSN.ca, and TSN Radio. 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