SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres have hired A.J. Preller as general manager, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hasnt been made official. The team called a news conference for 4 p.m. local time. Preller has been assistant GM of the Texas Rangers. He has extensive international scouting experience, particularly in Latin America. Preller replaces Josh Byrnes, who was fired June 22. He beat out a field of finalists that included assistant GMs Mike Hazen of the Boston Red Sox and Billy Eppler of the New York Yankees, and Kim Ng, senior vice-president for baseball operations for Major League Baseball. Ng is one of the highest-ranking women in baseball. There has never been a female GM in MLB or any of the other major sports. Ng also interviewed for the Padres GM job in 2009 after Kevin Towers was fired. The job eventually went to Jed Hoyer. The Padres are looking for stability. Theyre on their third ownership group since 2009 and Preller is their fourth general manager since then. San Diego has had only two seasons above .500 since winning consecutive NL West titles in 2005-06. Although the Padres have been playing better since the All-Star break, they began the day 10 games under .500 and 12 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. Cleveland Browns Greedy Williams Jersey . He will be practicing with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) on a conditioning assignment. - @AnaheimDucks Corey Perry has a knee sprain and will miss the next three to four weeks. Authentic Cleveland Browns Jerseys .com) - Devan Dubnyk stopped all 30 shots fired his way and made several big saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday. http://www.cheapbrowns.com/120u-cheap-si...sey-browns.html. The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo. Cleveland Browns Sheldrick Redwine Jersey . But last years runner-up Jarkko Nieminen crashed out despite winning the first set against Denis Istomin. Istomin fired 10 aces and won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2 to even his career record against Nieminen at 3-3. Cleveland Browns Bernie Kosar Jersey . But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents.MILWAUKEE - On a Saturday evening in early November the Raptors picked up their first road win of the season, defeating the Bucks in Milwaukee for the first time since 2008, the last year in which they qualified for the playoffs. Its been a long and unpredictable campaign that has ultimately led them back to Wisconsin, where five months later they would make history on the same court where it all began. With their 102-98 victory at Bradley Center on Saturday, the Raptors picked up their 21st road win of the season, a franchise record, also assuring theyll finish the year with a winning record away from home for the first time in team history. The Raptors have exceeded every expectation since that first game in Milwaukee but the most surprising notch on their belt may just be the success theyve enjoyed on the road, an unlikely strength for a young and inexperienced team. "Even the veteran teams I had in Dallas and Seattle, it was tough to win on the road," Dwane Casey said. "Our focus has been good on the road for whatever reason. We keep the same routine, we try to make sure our travel is efficient, which is sometimes hard to do, so guys can get rest." Some of their finest moments have come away from the Air Canada Centre. Their second road triumph came in Memphis, Rudy Gays return to his old stomping grounds, a game Toronto won by 16. Just over a month later, Gay now in Sacramento, they overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat Dallas in overtime only to knock off the Thunder in Oklahoma City two days later, a character-building trip for the emerging Raptors. Theyve won a couple contests in Chicago and stolen one in Brooklyn, thanks to a clutch steal and late-game jumper from Patrick Patterson. Even with those victories in mind, the one that sticks out above the rest came against a Lakers team - now sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference - in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening in December. Mired in a five-game losing streak and undermanned after a franchise-altering trade, the Raptors spoiled Kobe Bryants long anticipated return to the court. That was the night they adopted the us against the world mentality that has stuck with them. With the cards stacked against them, they came together in a special way and just a few days later they would add four veteran pieces to a puzzle that was suddenly falling into place. "We keep everything together," said Greivis Vasquez, shortly after matching a season-high with 26 points and setting a new career mark with six three-pointers on Saturday. "Great chemistry, healthy locker room, great work ethic, were so connected to each other. This is a unique team." For all those impressive road victories on the resume, their 21st was rather forgettable. As Casey stood in front of the media, fuming after a narrow victory over the leagues worst team, the season flashed before all of our eyes. Look how far theyve come. They had just won their third straight, sixth in seven games, and their head coach could not get past their horrid first half. "The first half, we played like crap," he said. Harsh but ttrue.dddddddddddd "Theres no nice word you can put to it. We talked about it at halftime and after the game, we cant approach the game that way, its not acceptable for where we want to go and what we want to do. If we want to be average, fine, but to get where we want to go, to be a playoff calibre team, weve got to perform better than that. Doesnt matter if its Indiana or a high school team, it doesnt matter." He wasnt just blowing smoke. The first half was bad, real bad. Following a couple of inspired home wins over quality teams in Houston and Indiana, the 14-win Bucks shot 59 per cent in the opening 24 minutes, outscoring Toronto 38-14 in the paint and led by nine at intermission. "Our approach was not good, terrible," admitted Vasquez. "Were better than that and we understand that. We talked about it at halftime. Coach jumped on us and we reacted pretty well. In the second half we came to play. Thats the real Toronto Raptors." Toronto opened the second half on a 17-4 run to regain the lead minutes into the third quarter. They flipped the switch, something good teams do, and yes, the Raptors have become a good team. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, where he attempted eight free throws after failing to get to the line in the first half. Expectations have changed. The good news is no one is shying away from them. "We cannot have excuses," Vasquez said. "A team thats going to the playoffs, playing to win a division cannot have excuses. If you talk to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, they will tell you how it is. Were trying to get there. Its going to take us a little time. But we got the win. Ugly, pretty, it was a win and we need to learn from this game. Weve got to understand that weve got to approach games differently. These five games we got left, weve got to run the table." Lowry, Johnson sit out Kyle Lowry missed his third straight game with a bruised left kneecap, while Amir Johnson sat out nursing a sore right ankle. Although both starters were with the team in Milwaukee - Johnson even took jump shots on the court ahead of the game - Casey opted to rest his ailing players with three days off before their next contest, at home to Philadelphia on Wednesday. "We need them we want them but wed rather not risk their health, more than anything else," the Raptors coach said. Although theyre making progress, Casey thought it best to sit them as a precaution, avoiding further injury, on Saturday. Theyre both considered day-to-day and will likely be questionable for Wednesdays game. The stat After a stellar performance against Roy Hibbert and the Pacers on Friday, Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, recording his team-leading 22nd double-double of the season against the Bucks The quote "Ive been in locker rooms, man, I know how it is," said Vasquez, speaking on the teams chemistry. "Egos, money, its none of that here. None of that nonsense. Were just playing great basketball and were happy for each other. This is a real team." 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