until after McQueary had told his story in open court.Sanduskys lawyers have argued McGettigan was referring to the man who says

HOUSTON -- Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow first saw Yulieski Gurriel play a decade ago in a tournament in Amsterdam.He imagined him playing in the major leagues and made that dream a reality Saturday when he signed the Cuban free agent to a $47.5 million, five-year deal with the Astros.To be able to get him now really in the prime of his career ... is a huge deal for us, Luhnow said. Its probably the most exciting day since Ive been here except for the wild-card win against the Yankees.A beaming Gurriel was introduced Saturday in Houston, seated next to Luhnow behind a table draped with the American and Cuban flags. He was handed an Astros hat and jersey and proudly put both on, slowly fastening each button on the jersey, a huge smile never leaving his face.I have no words to describe this moment, he said in Spanish through an interpreter.Gurriel was one of the most sought international free agents since leaving Cuba in February after competing in the Caribbean World Series in the Dominican Republic. The 32-year-old was declared a free agent last month.There were times Gurriel wondered if hed ever get the chance to play in the majors.I always had the hope to play in the United States, he said. But it always seemed like something very far away ... it has been my dream my whole life to be here and to play next to big league players.The Astros are in the process of obtaining a work visa for Gurriel. After thats done, Luhnow said, hell head to the minors to get some at-bats to prepare to face major league pitching for the first time. Houstons Triple-A club is in Fresno, but the Astros want Gurriel to be closer to the team, so hell likely get those swings with Double-A Corpus Christi. For now, hell head to Houstons spring training complex in Florida to prepare for his next move.Though theres no official timetable for his major league debut, Luhnow is confident that it will happen this season.Absolutely, he said. One of the reasons why (we) worked so hard to get this deal done as timely as we could was I want, and Yuli wants to be part of a playoff run this year.Gurriel gets a $2 million reporting bonus if he obtains a U.S. work visa before the end of the 2016 season and salaries of $1.5 million this year, $14 million in 2017, $12 million in 2018, $10 million in 2019 and $8 million in 2020.He has a one-time right to opt into salary arbitration following his first eligibility and has the right to become a free agent when the contract expires. He does not have a no-trade provision.He would earn $100,000 if voted MVP, $50,000 for finishing second and $25,000 for third. He would get $50,000 for World Series MVP, and $25,000 each for League Championship Series MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and being selected an All-Star.The Astros have shaken off a terrible start to the season and entered Saturdays games 4 1/2 games behind Texas for the lead in the AL West and one game back for the second wild card playoff spot.Gurriel is primarily a third baseman but also has played second base and shortstop. He was an Olympian in 2004 and 2008.Luis Valbuena is currently playing third base for Houston but can also play first base. Luhnow said theyll figure out where Gurriel will play later.In 15 seasons in Cuba, he is a.335 hitter with 250 homers and 1,018 RBI. Last season, he hit .500 with 15 homers and 51 RBI in just 49 games for Industriales.To me, he was the Cuban star that everybody was hoping would become available to a major league team, Luhnow said. Its a combination of pretty impressive offensive output, both power and speed and average and the ability to take walks and avoid strikeouts -- all of the things we talk about being key elements of success in the major leagues.Hes a five-tool player with 15 years of incredible success on the international stage ... pretty much the combination wed design if we were going to design a ballplayer.Though Gurriel, who said he prefers to be called El Yuli, will be a rookie in the majors at 32, hell be looked upon to be a leader for a team with several young Latin stars. When Luhnow went to Florida to watch him work out, it took only a short conversation with the player to see that hed be perfectly comfortable filling that role.The makeup here is exactly what you look for in a ball player in your clubhouse, Luhnow said.Stitched Stars Jerseys . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Custom Dallas Stars Jerseys . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. https://www.cheapstarsonline.com/ . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Dallas Stars Gear . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Fake Stars Jerseys .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open.BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- A man who claims he was the young sexual-assault victim seen with former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in a campus shower 15 years ago, a central episode in the molestation scandal that rocked the university, testified in the case for the first time on Friday and insisted Sandusky had abused him.The 29-year-old man was called to the witness stand in Sanduskys appeal of his conviction, and an attorney for Sandusky confronted him with a 2011 statement in which he told police he hadnt been abused.That would reflect what I said then. Not what I would say now, the man said, according to Pennlive.com.Sandusky, called to the stand in his own defense, was asked if hed ever abused the man and declared, Absolutely not.Lawyers for the man say he is the person identified during the 2012 Sandusky trial as Victim 2, the young boy assistant coach Mike McQueary has said he witnessed being sexually abused by Sandusky in 2001.But the lead prosecutor at Sanduskys criminal trial, now in private practice, has testified he doesnt believe the man is the person McQueary saw.Sanduskys lawyers argue he didnt get a fair trial in part because his legal team at the time mishandled the issue of Victim 2s identity and didnt call him to the stand.Sandusky was a retired coach with gym privileges at the time McQueary says he saw the shower assault. He was convicted on charges of abusing 10 boys, including Victim 2, but maintains his innocence.Though the man who claims he was Victim 2 didnt testify at Sanduskys trial, he later won a civil settlement from the university.The Associated Press generally doesnt identify people who say theyre the victims of sexuual assault, and in this case a victim advocate has said the man has asked not to be identified.ddddddddddddMcQueary reported what he saw in the shower to then-head coach Joe Paterno, who alerted the athletic director and a vice president. But Sandusky wasnt arrested until a decade later, after prosecutors got an anonymous tip that led them to McQueary, leading to accusations of a high-level cover-up. University trustees later cited Paternos handling of the complaint as one of the reasons he was fired in 2011; he died months later.The former prosecutor in the Sandusky case, Joe McGettigan, said he doubts the man is Victim 2 because his accounts have changed, he appears too old to have been the boy in the shower and he didnt provide certain details to investigators until after McQueary had told his story in open court.Sanduskys lawyers have argued McGettigan was referring to the man who says he was Victim 2 and therefore lied to jurors when he said during the closing argument that Sanduskys victims included others presently known to God but not to us.The man who says he is Victim 2 told police in September 2011 that no abuse had occurred and said much the same to an investigator working for Sanduskys lawyers around that time. He subsequently hired a lawyer and changed his story, saying he had been sexually abused.Neither he nor Penn State has described the claim he made against the university that won him a settlement.Sandusky, whos serving a prison sentence of 30 to 60 years, is seeking to get his conviction overturned or a new trial. ' ' '