NEWS » explained to her, ends up getting assigned to just about ever

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Heres a look at Saturdays NFL preseason games. (All times EDT):VICTORS BACKGiants at Jets, 7:30 p.m.Victor Cruz has come full cycle against the Jets.The undrafted free agent from nearby Paterson, New Jersey, made the Giants as a free agent in 2010 in large part by catching six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns in a preseason game against the Jets. By the following season, he was one of the NFLs most dynamic receivers and would stay that way for three years.A knee injury that limited him to six games in 2014 and a calf injury that wiped out last season have put his roster spot in jeopardy. The 29-year-old Cruz missed the first two preseason games with a groin injury and will make his preseason debut in Week 3. Of course, the Jets are the opponent.Its the story of my life, Cruz said. You cant write it any better than this. This is the way my career has gone. Its the way my professional career has gone. The Jets preseason game has always been some type of landmark situation for me, so here we go again.Jets starters are expected to play at least the first half. Geno Smith remains the No. 2 QB behind Ryan Fitzpatrick despite Bryce Pettys solid performance -- 16 of 26 for 242 yards and two touchdowns -- in a loss to Washington last Friday night. Smith was 6 of 13 for 47 yards and an interception.Running back Matt Forte (hamstring) could see his first game action for the Jets, along with defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, whos coming off a broken leg suffered in the season finale against Buffalo.LIMPING ALONGKansas City at Chicago, 1 p.m.Kansas City is banged up, and so is Chicago. Expect both teams to be missing some prominent players.The Chiefs will be without several starters and backups, among them pass rusher Tamba Hali (knee), running backs Jamaal Charles (knee) and Charcandrick West (elbow), and linebacker Josh Mauga (groin). Kansas City is taking a slow approach working Hali, who returned to practice this week, and Charles back into the rotation.A major concern for the Bears is right guard Kyle Long after the three-time Pro Bowl lineman hurt his shoulder at New England last week. Coach John Fox isnt saying how much time Long will miss. Veteran Ted Larsen, who had taken over for the injured Hroniss Grasu at center, practiced at right guard this week, with Cornelius Edison at center.HELPING HANDSPhiladelphia at Indianapolis, 7 p.m.The Colts are reaching out to the people of Kokomo, Indiana, which was hit by an EF3 tornado on Wednesday that had an estimated peak wind of 152 mph. The tornado traveled nearly 5 miles on the citys south side, was about 300 yards wide and lasted 10 minutes.The NFL team is providing tickets and concession vouchers to Saturdays game for the Kokomo High School football team, including their family members and coaches. They will also be recognized on the field during pre-game ceremonies.Colts quarterback Andrew Luck will play one half. The banged-up secondary will be without recently signed Antonio Cromartie.Eagles coach Doug Pederson plans to play his starters into the second half. Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will play with the first unit and see more action in his second game since being acquired from Tennessee.FLAK ATTACKDetroit at Baltimore, 7 p.m.Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will make his debut, playing around a half. Its his first action since tearing the left ACL and MCL in a Nov. 22 win over the Rams. Linebacker Terrell Suggs could also make his 2016 debut after tearing his Achilles tendon in last years opener.It would be great not to get hit, said Flacco, who has not been hit since the injury. I dont need to get hit. But if I do, it is not a bad thing.The Lions will take another close look at seventh-round pick Dwayne Washington, who leads the team in rushing and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown this preseason.HOLDING BACKTennessee at Oakland, 8 p.m.The third exhibition game is often viewed as the final dress rehearsal for the regular season, with starters getting their most extensive time mixed with a little game planning. But with the Titans and Raiders set to play again on Sept. 25, dont expect either to show too much.A little unorthodox or unusual that you have a team that youre playing in the third preseason game that youre going to turn around and play them early in the season like that, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. We both understand what it is.The Titans should get their first look at linebacker Kevin Dodd. The No. 33 overall pick did not play last week in a loss to Carolina as he works his way into shape from surgery in May on his right foot. Dodd had 12 sacks last season for Clemson, and Tennessee is counting on him to provide much-needed depth at outside linebacker.NOT NO. 1, YETLos Angeles at Denver, 9 p.m.No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff of the Rams is slowly adjusting to NFL life. Goff has completed 12 of 21 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has a 69.5 quarterback rating.Case Keenum has started the first two games and completed 10 of 12 for 111 yards and a TD. He has a 133 rating.If things continue, Keenum may be No. 1 when the season starts.Rams defensive end Robert Quinn is expected to make his debut after missing the final six weeks last season because of back surgery.Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib (back) is expected to make his preseason debut after missing the last two games. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware isnt expected to play and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips may keep him on a play count in the regular season.---AP Pro Football Writers Teresa M. Walker and Rob Maaddi, and Sports Writers Tom Canavan, Dennis Waszak Jr., Andrew Seligman, David Ginsburg, and Josh Dubow contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL. Vans Old Skool Womens Ireland . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Clearance Old Skool Ireland . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. http://www.clearanceoldskoolireland.com/ . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Vans Old Skool Cheap Ireland . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Buy Vans Old Skool Ireland .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. NEW YORK -- When 55-year-old banking executive Vijay Parimoo told his friends he would be a rookie ball boy at this years U.S. Open, he expected, and got, a little teasing.They were like, `Isnt there an age limit? Shouldnt there be? he said.But the U.S. Open has indeed never put an upper limit on the age of its ball chasers, which tournament officials say sets Flushing Meadows apart from the other Grand Slams. Of the 275 ball people this year -- all of whom had to make it through grueling tryouts -- about 75 are 18 or older and more than 20 of those are over 30. Several are in their 50s. One who gave it up a couple of years ago was 63.Top players who make it their habit to thank the ball boys and ball girls in their victory speeches on tour have been seen giving double-takes when handed a ball or towel by grownups.I see many adults, says No. 1-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic. I dont know if all of them are adults, but theyre doing their job very well.While the very idea of ball men and ball women has been lampooned over the years -- most notably on TVs Seinfeld when Kramer finds a way to bungle the great ball man experiment -- its a point of pride for the hardy few who have actually done one of the most coveted minimum-wage jobs in sports. And U.S. Open officials say there are plenty of wrinkles, so to speak, at this particular Grand Slam that make older ball people a sensible choice.For one, the two-week U.S. Open normally straddles the Labor Day weekend, when the school year kicks in and labor laws prevent kids from working extended hours, especially at night.The older ballpersons are gold in the night matches, says Cathie Delaney, a U.S. Tennis Association pro who manages the day-to-day court assignments for ball people who can be as young as 14. Some of these matches go until 2 a.m. We cant have a 14-year-old on the subway at 2 a.m.And then theres the U.S. Opens distinction of being the only major in which the ball persons move the balls around the court by throwing them rather than rolling them, which on changeovers can mean 80-foot, baseball-like guns from one end of the court to the other. Over the three weeks of work -- through the qualifying rounds, the main draws, junior, college and wheelchair events -- all that throwing can take a toll on young arms.Former college baseball player Yitz Liberman answered the call several years ago, not out of a particular devotion to tennis but because he knew he had a rocket arm. Now, the 34-year-old adjunct professor of Judaic studies at Yeshiva University has worked his way up to the position of crew chief in some of the top matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium.Theres a lot going on around you.dddddddddddd Its my job to keep everyone focused and everyone in line, says Liberman, who high-fived his mostly teenage crew when they were assigned Venus Williams match in front of more than 23,000 fans.Dressed in identical blue uniforms, the six-person crew marches on and off the court like soldiers. In a choreographed flourish, they fan out onto the court to their assigned spots, the runners at the net who scamper for loose balls, and the throwers at the end who bounce the balls to the players and handle their sweaty towels.Tina Taps, who has been in charge of the ball persons since 1989, says she doesnt care about age, only a love of the tennis and the ability to make it through tryouts, which involve sprints, agility drills and throwing competitions. Each summer, about 400 people try out for just 80 rookie spots.Its a hard job, she said. More mature ball persons can deal with the heat and the various things that occur on the court and can teach the younger ones to persevere.One of those vets is Laray Fowler, a 32-year-old sales associate from Great Neck who has worked every U.S. Open since she was 14. She specializes in knowing and anticipating the on-court likes, dislikes and nuances of some of the games biggest stars, including Serena Williams.Its kind of like I know what she wants without her even having to ask, says Fowler, who, for reasons that have never been explained to her, ends up getting assigned to just about every Serena match.So will there ever come a day Fowler will give up being a ball person? No way, she says. Im going to do this until I cant walk anymore.For Parimoo, the 55-year-old rookie from Warren, New Jersey, taking his place on court is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. It began in his native India when he watched Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert and Bjorn Borg at the Open on television and noticed the youngsters chasing the balls across the court. What do these kids have to do to be in this tournament? he wondered. They must be super smart or special.When his 15-year-old son, Shray, tried out this summer, he took his dad with him. Amazingly, they both made it.In one of his first assignments, Parimoo handled the towel in a doubles match for one of his idols, Martina Hingis. But his biggest honor came this week when he was assigned to work as part of the same crew with his son.It reminded him once again of the biggest advantage he has over younger ball people: perspective.This is a privilege, he says. I enjoy every minute I am here. I may not be able to do it tomorrow. ' ' '