PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks took on the big boys of Major League Baseball in the competition to land Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka only to see him sign, hardly to anyones surprise, with the New York Yankees. Toronto Blue Jays . Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers, speaking to a handful of reporters in a conference call on Wednesday, thanked the teams ownership for allowing him, for what he said was the first time, to "sit at the table in a high stakes poker game for one of the elite free agents." Towers said the Diamondbacks made "a very competitive offer." But not competitive enough. The 25-year-old right-handers deal with the Yankees pays him $155 million over seven years, in addition to the $20 million due as a posting fee to his Japanese club. Now Towers moves on in search, via free agency or a trade, of help for the Diamondbacks rotation, seeking either a No. 1 starter or a strong No. 2. And, he said, those are hard to find. The Diamondbacks contingent of managing partner Ken Kendrick, Towers, manager Kirk Gibson and star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt met with Tanaka and his entourage about three weeks ago. "All you can do is put your best foot forward, which is what we did," Towers said. The Diamondbacks emphasized their family atmosphere, the weather, the fact that the team trains in Arizona. Tanaka would have been the unquestioned No. 1 pitcher on the staff. That and what undoubtedly was a substantial money offer, certainly by Diamondbacks standards, wasnt enough. There is no large Japanese community in Phoenix. Towers said international players often are lured by the "Yankee pinstripes." He noted the Yankees have two veteran Japanese pitchers who can ease Tanaka into his new life. The Diamondbacks will continue to see what the possibilities are for landing a pitcher. "It doesnt stop just because we didnt get Tanaka," Towers said. But the Diamondbacks dont want to sign any pitcher to a contract longer than three years, Tanaka being an obvious exception. Unsigned free agent starters include Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez. Towers insisted that if Arizona does not acquire another starter, hes comfortable with the returning staff, specifically mentioning the possibility of talented young flame-thrower Archie Bradley competing for a spot in the rotation this spring. Because of their early-season trip to Australia to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks will be the first team to gather for spring training. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 6 with the full squad due on Feb. 11. Jesse Barfield Jersey .One day after winning her record 63rd World Cup race, Vonn posted to her Facebook account Tuesday that she was happy Woods surprised her by coming to the race, and that she felt terrible that his tooth got knocked out. Billy McKinney Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-justin-smoak-jersey/ .Mihajlovic was sent off minutes from the end of Thursdays 2-0 win over Brescia and has been punished for using a disrespectful expression toward the fourth official and throwing the contents of a bottle of water at him, thus assuming an intimidating attitude.MILAN, Italy -- Real Madrids Champions League winning coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has backed former player Filippo Inzaghi as the ideal candidate to take over as manager of AC Milan. Current Milan coach Clarence Seedorf is only four months into a 2 1/2 year contract, but Italian media reports claim that club owner Silvio Berlusconi has already decided to replace him with the Dutchmans former teammate, Inzaghi. "Inzaghi has extraordinary enthusiasm, he has already got experience in the youth sector," former Milan manager Ancelotti said in an interview published by the Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday. "He certainly has all the characteristics, he knows the club and if he becomes Milan coach, I wish him all the best." Like Seedorf, Inzaghi has no previous first-team coaching experience, but he has been in charge of the youth team at Milan since retiring in 20012 and has achieved impressive results. Jack Morris Blue Jays Jersey. The 40-year-old has long been seen as a future coach. "Whoever starts doesnt have experience," said Ancelotti, speaking in the wake of Madrids Champions League triumph in Lisbon. "You get it with time. Whats most important is the knowledge of the game." Seedorf replaced the sacked Massimiliano Allegri in January and led Milan to an eighth-place finish in Serie A, with 11 wins in his 19 league matches in charge. Despite an impressive first leg performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16, Milan went out to the eventual runners-up 5-1 on aggregate. Inzaghi had a glittering 11-year spell at Milan, winning two Serie A titles -- to add to the one he won at Juventus -- and two Champions League trophies. The former striker also won the World Cup with Italy in 2006. ' ' '