TENNESSEE HIRES PRUITT
Jerry Blevins is excited to have a new manager and pitching coach. The Mets left-handed reliever, who appeared in a career-high 75 games last season, said Thursday that it will be a new experience to work with first-year Mets manager Mickey Callaway, a former pitching coach in Cleveland.
“We’ve spoken a couple of times on the phone. The impressions are great, him being a former pitcher, it’s nice to relate on a different level with the manager,” said Blevins, who served as an elf at the Mets’ annual holiday party for local school children at Citi Field Thursday. “It will be my first time having a former pitcher at the helm. Seems super intelligent. Knows the direction we want to head. ”
The consensus of the four players on hand Thursday was that after brief conversations with the first-time manager, they are excited about the way the Mets are heading in 2018.
“He really went all in for his first gig being a manager. I respect that very much. It’s a hard enough job,” said Blevins.
HELPING ARM
Blevins said he agreed with the front office’s assessment that the bullpen needs to get another back-end of the bullpen arm this winter — especially if they follow through with Sandy Alderson’s plan of limiting starters to two times through the lineup.
“It’s pretty obvious we have a need back there for another arm, especially with the limits we are going to have on our starting pitching coming through injury or just looking at innings limits,” Blevins said. “We are going to have to pick up a lot of innings. We get an Addison Reed type, a power arm back there to take a lot of pressure off (closer Jeurys) Familia, myself, and A.J.(Ramos).”
Blevins said that will change the workload for relievers.
“If that’s where they want to go, the third time through is going to be the exit for our starters, it doesn’t matter where that is going to be we’re going to have to pick up those innings,” Blevins said. “Hopefully it’s deep.”
FRIENDLY PHILOSOPHY
Kevin Plawecki and Brandon Nimmo said it was very important that the Mets brought back — and promoted — assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler to the staff. Roessler will be the hitting coach in 2018.
“I was getting a little nervous,” said Plawecki of when hitting coach Kevin Long was leaving the organization. “But Pat and Kevin have the same philosophy, so it was good he’s coming back.”
SHARING THE LOAD
At the end of last season, Plawecki had a chance to play regularly as the Mets split the catching duties between him and Travis d’Arnaud. He sees no reason it could not work as a possible way to keep them both healthy going into 2018.
“Think it could work...keeping us both fresh and we both work with the pitching staff really well, so we could do it,” Plawecki said.
John Dorsey turned the Kansas City Chiefs back into winners. His new project is more daunting. The Cleveland Browns hired Dorsey on Thursday to be their new general manager and fix a team that has won just one game over the past two seasons and remains in a perpetual search for a franchise quarterback.
Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam wasted no time in landing Dorsey, who was brought in hours after the team fired vice president of football operations Sashi Brown two seasons.
Brown was able to acquire future assets during his tenure, but he missed on quarterbacks in the draft and the Browns went just 1-27 under his watch.
l Deion Jones made a leaping interception in the end zone with 1:25 remaining and the host Atlanta Falcons held on for a crucial 20-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, setting up a three-way race for the NFC South title.
Matt Ryan shook off three interceptions to guide the Falcons to Matt Bryant’s 52yard field goal with 3:49 to go, snapping a 17-all tie.
The Saints (9-4) were in position to pull out the victory, driving to the Atlanta 11 after Drew Brees converted on fourthand-1 with a quarterback sneak. On second down, Brees attempted to hit tight end Josh Hill in the back of the end zone and Jones leaped for the pick. after less than majors, the Mariners believe he can make the transition and fill perhaps the biggest remaining need among their position players.
Tennessee has hired Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt as its head coach, capping a tumultuous search that cost an athletic director his job as the Volunteers attempt to recover from one of their most disappointing seasons.
Pruitt’s hiring comes six days after former Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer was named athletic director and put in charge of the coaching search. Fulmer took over for John Currie, who was suspended just eight months into the job as Tennessee investigates whether it can fire him for cause.