Neo Workxx » call out Russias Yulia Efimova for putting up a No. 1 finge

MIAMI -- A year ago Marcell Ozuna was a newly demoted minor leaguer, sent to Triple-A following a 1-for-36 slump that erased his perpetual smile and magnified doubts about his future with the Miami Marlins.All of which makes his first All-Star Game that much more momentous for Ozuna, who will start in center field Tuesday for the National League.The smile is back as he reflects on his journey of the past 12 months.I dreamed of being an All-Star, he said. But a starter in one year? Its impossible.Ozuna was promoted to the starting lineup because of injuries to other players, but his statistics are All-Star worthy, thanks in part from the mentoring of first-year Marlins batting coach Barry Bonds. Ozuna is hitting .307 with 17 homers and 47 RBI, and ranks among NL leaders with 99 hits and five triples.As for defense, to underscore his excellent play in center field, Ozuna threw out the Reds Brandon Phillips on the bases on both Saturday and Sunday.Ozo is unbelievable, teammate Giancarlo Stanton said. Its what Ive seen over the years -- you got spurts of it. But its a matter of being able to lock that in day in and day out, which he has been doing. Its only the beginning for him.But in early July 2015, Ozuna was literally headed the wrong way -- to Triple-A New Orleans. An 0-for-3 performance at Wrigley Field, dropping his average to .249, sealed the Marlins decision to demote him midway through his third major league season.I remember it like it was yesterday, president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. He had been having a rough stretch, and in that particular game he just looked overmatched. They were bad at-bats.Ive seen him since he was 16, and it was the first time I had ever seen him hang his head. We spoke after the game, and I was like, `Ozo, whats up? He said, `I dont know. He had no answers. He was completely lost. That was when we decided it was in his best interests to send him down. Its hard when you dont see Marcell Ozuna with a big smile; thats who he is.Ozuna spent six weeks with New Orleans and showed some improvement when he rejoined the Marlins, batting .278 with six homers in 44 games. Even so, he was on the trading block during the offseason.Ozuna concedes he was out of shape in 2015, so this year he reported for spring training lighter and fitter. He immediately began to bond with Bonds, and the home run king began preaching strike zone discipline to the free-swinging Ozuna.He talked to me about how you have to be patient and selective, Ozuna said. Right now I trust what I can do. I say, `Dont rush.As a result, he no longer swings so often at bad pitches. His walks are up and his strikeouts down.What did Ozuna tell Bonds upon learning he would start for the NL stars in San Diego?I said, `Thank you, Ozuna said.The All-Star Game will be his first since Class A in Florida in 2009. His parents, two sisters and two children will be at the game.I feel happy for my family because theyre proud of me, he said.Hes not the only Ozuna smiling these days. Lenny Dykstra Jersey . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Tug McGraw Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/tom-seaver-mets-jersey/ . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. Gary Carter Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Nolan Ryan Jersey . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Michael Phelps was predictably excellent, and Usain Bolt was amazing as expected. Ryan Lochte found himself swimming in hot water, and Brazil won the one gold it had to win.But just how well do you know the Rio Olympics? Heres a quiz to find out:----What did Ryan Lochte do after his taxi pulled into a Rio gas station?A. Checked to see if he had enough money for a Slurpee.B. Asked the attendant for a key to the restroom.C. Arranged a prime time interview with NBC.----What was the best thing seen in the water at the Olympics?A. Michael PhelpsB. Katie LedeckyC. The pool cleaner----What did Britains Justin Rose do when he won golfs first gold medal since 1904A. Swatted away a mosquito.B. Called Rory McIlroy to brag.C. Asked when he would get the winners check.----Why did the U.S. mens basketball team have so many problems putting teams away?A. They had no LeBron or Kobe to lead them.B. NBA players have never heard of the backdoor cut.C. The gourmet restaurant on their luxury ship kept running out of their favorite caviar.----What was the biggest difference with Olympic boxers not wearing headgear?A. There was more blood.B. There were better fights.C. Fans were finally able to see the looks of disgust on the faces on fighters when they were robbed by judges.----What did Simone Biles do that cost her a fifth gold medal in gymnastics?A. Curled her little toe on landing.B. Jumped so high the judges lost sight of her.C. Forgot to remind judges that she had already been penciled in as the winner.----Why did Michael Phelps decide to retire after the Olympics?A. He discovered hes allergic to green water.B. He was worried about losing street cred because he always tested clean.C. He couldnt stand listening to another Ryan Lochte story.----Why were the Olympics given to Rio over Chicago to begin with?A. The city has a track record of delivering big projeccts on time.ddddddddddddB. Brazilian organizers insisted Zika mosquitoes were only found in Argentina.C. Olympics didnt want to compete for attention with Cubs winning World Series----What was the best thing Vladimir Putin got from Rio?A. A Russian team photo with all the track athletes.B. A souvenir gold plated syringe.C. A tweet from Irish boxer Michael Conlan asking how much he had to pay to give decision to Russian opponent.----Why didnt Brazils interim president attend the closing ceremonies?A. He didnt like being booed at the opening ceremonies.B. He didnt want to fight Rio traffic.C. He was too busy planning for the Paralympics.----Why did US swimmer Lilly King call out Russias Yulia Efimova for putting up a No. 1 finger before their race?A. She was tired of swimming against dopers.B. Her parents had told her stories about the good old days of the Cold War.C. She thought Efimova had raised a different finger.----Why didnt NBC show everything live from the Olympics?A. The network needed more time to tell the back story of Russian synchronized swimming team.B. Most people thought Ryan Lochte interviews would be best tape delayed.C. Research showed not every American has heard of the internet.----What was the worst problem Olympic athletes faced in Brazil?A. Plumbing that didnt work.B. Dating apps sometimes took too long to load.C. Too many gas station restrooms with locking doors.----Why were there so many empty seats in Rio?A. Badminton hasnt really caught on in Brazil.B. Most Brazilians remain permanently stuck in traffic.C. The Irish IOC member who had most of the tickets was in jail.----Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg ' ' '