Test-Forum 1 » tremely difficult times for their teammates is nothing short

HOUSTON – The hitting coach and the player sat at the players locker stall for more than 20 minutes before Saturdays game against the Astros. They were hashing some things out. What those things are will remain between the coach and the player. Whats clear was that the discussion Kevin Seitzer was having with Colby Rasmus was animated. Seitzer, leaving not much room between him and his protégé, was moving his hands theatrically, speaking intently. To the casual observer, looking over every now and then, it appeared that Seitzer was doing a lot more of the talking than Rasmus. This has been a difficult year for Rasmus and it couldnt have come at a worse time. Hes assuredly headed to free agency for the first time in his career, the Blue Jays uninterested in bringing him back – certainly uninterested in issuing Rasmus a qualifying offer worth more than $14-million – and the feeling, its believed, is mutual. Making $7-million this season, 28-year-old Rasmus has put himself in a difficult spot as he seeks a long-term, big money contract to take him through his prime years. He was hitting .218/.281/.444 heading into Sundays action, a season interrupted for five weeks in May and June due to a hamstring injury. A high strikeout player throughout his career, Rasmus is whiffing in 32.8-percent of his plate appearances, the highest rate of any of his six big league seasons. Theres the issue of Rasmuss tardiness. He missed a hitters meeting, during which Seitzer takes players through the scouting report on the opponents pitching staff, on Thursday. Manager John Gibbons scratched Rasmus from the starting lineup although Rasmus did enter that nights game as a defensive replacement in the seventh. Where Rasmus and Seitzer disagree most is on Rasmuss stance. Rasmus, youll notice, holds his hands and bat out over the plate as he settles into the box to await the pitch. Seitzer had earlier convinced Rasmus to pull his hands in toward his body in order to get the bat through the strike zone quicker. Rasmus, who spent the All-Star Break at home, doesnt see it that way. When he pulls his hands in, he subconsciously wants to move them back out. “I feel like that Im able to close my body off that way and it keeps my hands more freed up,” said Rasmus. “Since Ive done that off the break, Ive hit quite a few balls the other way. Ive hit some balls through the shift and the idea was to just keep my body good and closed and my hands further away from me.” It would be unfair to describe the Rasmus/Seitzer relationship as contentious. Earlier this season, Seitzer told TSN.ca he believes Rasmus has a “beautiful heart,” something of which he reminds Rasmus. He knows his pupil is sensitive. Seitzer knows Rasmus has a complicated background which has left him tormented by his chosen profession. Seitzer is willing to hear Rasmus out. Its the part of Seitzers job youd title “psychologist.” When it comes to hitting, however, the two are not on the same page. “I feel more comfortable with them out away from me because I can kind of get a feel of letting my hands be free and loose,” said Rasmus. “I feel like its been working for me. Its pretty good. The last game in Boston, I hit three balls the other way that got caught. [Xander] Bogaerts dives and catches one; Jonny Gomes barely catches one and does his little tumble roll and then I hit another one to the gap and Jackie Bradley tracked it down.” Theres no question Rasmus has been robbed of a number of hits this season due to the exaggerated defensive shifts he faces. Teams routinely put three infielders on the right side of the diamond when hes at the plate, including placing the second baseman in a roving position in shallow right field. “I needed to make a change because what I was doing wasnt working,” said Rasmus. “I was just pulling balls straight into the shift. My hands were getting out away from me. I wasnt able to stay inside of any balls. I wasnt letting anything get deep and I was just crushing balls or trying to swing too hard to hit it through the shift because I was uncomfortable with what I was doing.” So it is in this strange time in the Blue Jays/Rasmus partnership. The playoff-contending team looking for contributions, Rasmus, facing an uncertain future, is playing it like Frank Sinatra: “My Way.” “I feel fine with what Im trying to do. I feel good with my approach,” said Rasmus. Markieff Morris Jersey . Berkman almost left the game last off-season before signing with the Texas Rangers. He then had another injury-plagued season and was limited to 73 games. Tim Frazier Jersey . Louis Blues and back into top spot of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings. The Sharks had been ranked No. http://www.cheapwizardsjerseys.com/ . -- Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and travelled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle. Troy Brown Jr. Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings. Winners of 15 straight, with a healthy roster, the Spurs have overtaken the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder for the number one ranking. Dwight Howard Jersey . CNN and Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Tancredi Palmeri broke the news via Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Italian Football Association President Giancarlo Abete has also resigned, according to Palmeri.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Theres still too much time left in the 2014-15 campaign to officially call the Minnesota Wilds season a disaster, but its certainly heading in that direction. On Wednesday, all the frustration over his teams lackluster play finally sent head coach Mike Yeo over the edge and its difficult to blame him. Yeo stopped practice and laid into his club for not showing up with the right attitude for a team that has lost eight of its last 10 games and is fading fast in the Western Conference playoff picture. In case you havent seen it, theres video of Yeos tirade here (with the numerous expletives bleeped out, of course): http://tinyurl.com/obthdhn Clearly, Yeos actions are those of a man who knows hes fighting for his job, and its tearing him apart to see his players arent battling right along with him. Were not in a position where we can come in and be, let alone decent in practice, bad at practice. Im not going to accept that, Yeo offered in defense of his meltdown. Although the passion is real, there may have been a bit of calculation behind Yeos harangue because it comes at a time when it would be easy for Minnesota to feel sorry for itself. The coach knows if the Wild go down the road of self pity they are already lost and, in all likelihood, so is his job. But there may be an even more poignant (and less self-centered) reason for Yeos frustration, and it has to do with the off-ice tragedy that has beset his two best players. One couldnt blame Yeo for being pushed to the limit by watching what his star players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have gone through this season on personal levels. Of all the Wild players, Parise and Suter are the guys who have real reasons to feel sorry for themselves, as both players lost their fathers over the last several months. Suters father, Bob, a member of the Miracle on Ice team, died suddenly of a heart attack shortly before the season. Parise, meanwhile, watched his father -- former NHLer and longtime Minnesota North Stars forward J.P. Parise -- battle lung cancer over the last several months before he passed away Wednesday night at the age of 73. Yeo and the Wild had been doing everythiing in their power to allow Parise to be with his family during this tragedy.dddddddddddd He was allowed to skip practices when needed and Parise recently said Yeo had basically been telling him to just show up for games. Yet, through it all Parise showed more personal accountability for his teams struggles than anybody else. So, to see the rest of the team sleepwalk through practice Wednesday while Parise was spending the last few hours he would ever have with his father, could have added to Yeos frustration. To hear the coach explain it, hockey should serve as an escape for Parise and Suter but there has been little solace to be found at Xcel Energy Center. I have so much respect for the way hes coming to the rink and everything hes trying to put in to help our group, Yeo told the media Tuesday about Parise. Whats disappointing for me, right now theres more stress here. Hockey teams are supposed to be like families in that they support each other the most in times of great distress. To see his players not give maximum effort at practice during extremely difficult times for their teammates is nothing short of disrespectful. Its disrespectful not only to Parise and Suter, but also to their families and the memories of both Bob Suter and J.P. Parise. And if the Wild cant rally around two of their best players at times like these, its be easy to see how Yeo could reach the level of frustration he showed on Wednesday. But, the good news beneath it all is there is still plenty of time for redemption. Including Thursdays home game against Chicago, the Wild have 44 games left in the regular season to put the disappointment of the last several months behind them. The first step for the Wild should be playing like their hair is on fire tonight against the Blackhawks. After all, leaving it all out on the ice is a great way to show Parise they care and are thinking about him during such a difficult time for his family. Its a cliche, but sometimes its true that it only takes one game to turn things around. And if Yeos tirade and Parises tragedy arent enough to shake the Wild out of their slumber soon, it may already be too late to save their season. 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