I really believe that this university and this program was

NEW YORK -- The latest high-priced addition to the New York Yankees stood on the dais in front of a large news conference, put on his pinstriped jersey with No. 19 and smiled. "Hello. My name is Masahiro Tanaka," he said slowly in English. "Im very happy to be a Yankee." After chartering a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for his trip from Tokyo to New York, the 25-year-old right-hander with the $155 million, seven-year contract was presented Tuesday not in the news conference room downstairs at Yankee Stadium, but in the Legends Suite Club, where the high rollers congregate on game days. Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo concluded the teams latest Pacific overture drew New Yorks most-attended news conference since Hideki Matsui was introduced in January 2003. Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said obtaining Tanaka was worth the economic pain of exceeding the $189 million luxury tax threshold New York had hoped to stay under. "We needed another starter, and when we do things, we try to do them right," Steinbrenner said. "And this guy, hes tough. Hes got tremendous ability. We all know that. And hes going to be very exciting to watch. And hes going to be great for the team, a great teammate. And $189 (million) or not, we wanted a good quality starter, and we got it." Tanaka charted a Japan Airlines plane, which seats about 200, for the trans-Pacific trip to New York, reportedly costing about $200,000. There were just five passengers on the plane, including his pop star wife Mai Satoda, plus their poodle Haru. The flight, originally scheduled to depart at noon, was delayed many hours by a snowstorm. "There wasnt many choices of planes," he said through a translator when asked about the big jet. And a lengthy commercial trip could have been uncomfortable. "I thought about my conditioning, just wanted to get here in the best condition possible," he said. For his first meal in New York, he ventured outside his room at the Mandarin Oriental hotel overlooking Central Park. "I ate a sushi," he said, "which I bought at a grocery store nearby." New York, which also added Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran during the off-season, figures to have a big following in Japan this year. Tanaka joins pitcher Hiroki Kuroda and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki on the roster, and reliever Yoshinori Tateyama will be at spring training with a minor league contract. "This would make the Boss proud," general manager Brian Cashman said in a reference to late owner George Steinbrenner. "The Yankees obviously are about always trying to acquire the best talent and a collection of talent that can compete for a championship, but he also liked a lot of attention, and this certainly represents a lot of attention. So this is Yankee big. This is Steinbrenner big." Tanaka was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last year, leading the Rakuten Golden Eagles to the Japan Series title. That left him with a 99-35 record and a 2.30 ERA in Japan, where he had 53 complete games in 172 starts. New York had one of the most successful Japanese players in the major leagues with outfielder Hideki Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP. And the Yankees experienced costly flops with pitchers Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa. Manager Joe Girardi was behind the plate for Irabus debut in 1997. "They feel a little bit more weight of representing their country than maybe players that are here on an everyday basis, because they kind of pave the way for the next guy and then the next guy," he said. Girardis advice: "Dont feel like you have to live up to the contract." On a tour of the U.S. with a Japanese high school all-star team in 2006, Tanaka met Matsui when one of the young pitchers games was rained out. During the off-season, he spoke briefly by telephone with Matsui about his pending decision. New York appealed to Tanakas desire to pitch on the biggest stage. "This is where you need to be. A great star. The biggest franchise. The biggest brand. The biggest city," Yankees President Randy Levine remembered saying during the teams pitch session with the player on Jan. 8 in Beverly Hills, Calif. "He said some other teams he had met with wanted him to transition in, and he didnt like that. He wanted to take the ball on Day One, and that told us a lot about him." Tanaka sounded prepared for the Yankees win-or-else mentality. "Ive heard that this place is -- it could be very harsh to you at times," he said. "Just wanted to put myself, though, in this environment and try to see where I can get to with my ability." Cashman is trying to lower expectations, saying Tanaka will slot in as No. 3 in the rotation behind CC Sabathia and Kuroda. "We could be getting more than a three. Maybe its a two. Maybe its even a one at some point," Cashman said. "I think that the adjustments are real, and as excited as we are to have and as much as we need a player of his capabilities, I want to make sure that people understand how difficult this game is over here and that there should be expectations of growing pains." Cheap Kirby Puckett Jersey . Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-rod-carew-jersey . The 26-year-old Redditch, England, native played three of his past four seasons under Rennie with the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League. Cheap Twins Jerseys China . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL. Wholesale Twins Jerseys . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.TORONTO - Between Canadian players making headlines in the NBA and the recent success of the Toronto Raptors, NBA legend Bill Walton said these are heady days for basketball in Canada.Its truly remarkable how far, in just 30 years, Canadian basketball has come, Walton said.The NBA MVP and basketball Hall of Famer was in Toronto on Thursday to help launch ticket sales for the Canadian university mens Final 8, which will be held at Ryerson University for the first time.What (the Raptors) have been able to do, sell-out crowds every night, currently in first place . . . But more importantly, what (the CIS championship) is all about is developing the homegrown talent in local programs, grassroots, getting the foundation going so everything will rise at the same time, Walton said.Walton addressed a large crowd of student athletes at Ryersons Mattamy Athletic Centre in an engaging presentation that lasted over 30 minutes. He spoke at length about two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, poking fun at the Victoria native while holding him up as an example of what hard work can do.To be a champion in life, like Steve Nash, it makes no difference how big you are if you cant play like a giant, Walton said. Of all the players that Ive had the privilege of watching, no single player has elicited more oohs and aahs than little Stevie, who . . . I was Steves size when I was born. Im faster today, and Im 62 years old, Ive had 37 orthopedic operations. Ive got a new knee, Ive got a new spine, and Im faster today than Steve ever was.The Ryerson Rams mens team, ranked No. 3 in the CIS, earns an automatic berth to the Final 8 tournament, March 12-15, as host. Roy Rana, who took over as Rams head coach six years ago, said hosting the tournament in Toronto has been a long time coming.Ive been a part of the fabric of the sport in this city for a long time, its never happened here, Rana said. When I took this job six years ago. . . I said You know what, I really believe that this university and this program was a jewel in the citys crown, and I wanted to put some shine on it.To be here six years later in this building, speaking about the national championship, about hosting a national championship is incredibly powerful, its an emotional moment for me.dddddddddddd This season is going to be a very special season for our guys.Walton credited Canadas success story partly to the globalization of the NBA that former commissioner David Stern launched in the early 1990s. There are 13 Canadians on NBA rosters this season, behind to only the United States.There is no end of Canadian role models in the sport, Walton said.To have witnessed Steve Nash over the course of his brilliant career, I just love Steve and what hes been able to do as a shining star, as a beacon of hope, as a moral compass to us all, Walton said. As I was a young child many years ago, I had my heroes, and people are looking at Steve Nash, theyre looking at these current Raptor players, theyre looking these Ryerson Rams, at these (Canadian) coaches whove given everything for someone else. . .Walton was asked about Nash being forced to skip what would have been his 19th — and likely final — season in the NBA. Nash is sidelined with the nerve damage in his back that has plagued him for the past few seasons.Dont pronounce him dead. Because Steve is just getting started, Walton said. Ultimately Steve will be one of those rare people who will be better in his post-playing life and career than he ever was as a player.As a player, he was unparalleled, he was unmatched, he was just fantastic. Be happy for him, be proud of him, encourage him and support him and thank him for what hes done to make our world a better place on and off the court.Ryersons Mattamy Athletic Centre — the former Maple Leaf Gardens — will host the CIS tournament, and will also be the basketball venue for next summers Pan and Parapan American Games.Its a fitting venue as the building hosted the first Basketball Association of America game in 1946, between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers. The BAA merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the NBA.Forty-seven schools from the four CIS conferences will compete for an eventual spot in the Final 8. 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