CHICAGO -- Cubs infielder Tommy La Stella has refused to report to Triple-A Iowa after being optioned to the minors nearly two weeks ago, and Chicago placed him on the temporary inactive list Tuesday.La Stella started at third base for the Cubs in last years wild-card victory over Pittsburgh. He was optioned to the minors on July 29 when Chicago activated outfielder Chris Coghlan off the disabled list.The left-handed hitting La Stella is batting .295 with a .388 on-base percentage in 105 at-bats with the Cubs and didnt take the demotion well.Hes a 27-year-old kid working through some stuff and were trying to give him time to work through those things, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. Weve had a lot of contact with him and well continue to do that.Manager Joe Maddon said hes communicated by text message with La Stella, who was back home in New Jersey working out.Hes not angry. Hes not upset, Maddon said. Hes just at that point where he doesnt know exactly what he wants to do. Thats it.La Stella will continue to get paid while hes on the inactive list.Depth has been a good problem for the major league-leading Cubs this season. La Stella was vulnerable to being sent down despite his impressive numbers because he still has minor league options.This guy can flat out hit, Hoyer said.Some Cubs players declined comment about La Stella, saying they didnt know enough about the situation. Others defended him.I dont know if anybody would say they saw that coming by any means, outfielder Jason Heyward said. But at the same time, somebody has got to be at peace with what theyre doing.Outfielder Matt Szczur said he was sure La Stella will eventually report to Iowa.Im really close to Tommy and weve been talking back and forth, Szczur said. Hes trying to get in a good place. I can only support him.Hoyer said La Stellas absence will make the Cubs look for left-handed hitting elsewhere. He said when La Stella returns, it wont be with the Cubs.Theres no doubt hes going to have to get at-bats and play in Triple-A before he can help the major league team, Hoyer said. Hes going to get at-bats in Iowa, for sure. Vans Old Skool Black Sale . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Vans Old Skool Clearance . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/vans-old-skool-sale/pink.html . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Vans Old Skool White .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Vans Shoes Wholesale . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said.MONTREAL -- Home turf is a happy place for Marco Di Vaio. The veteran striker scored his 10th goal of the Major League Soccer season Wednesday in a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. "Im happy to score, but I want to score more," said Di Vaio, who has recorded all but one of his goals at home. "But the important thing is were creating chances." Felipe Martins also scored as the Eastern Conference-leading Impact (9-3-2) improved to 6-0-1 at Saputo Stadium and won a fourth in a row at home. Houston (6-5-4) is winless in its last five (0-3-2). The crowd of 17,694 saw the Impact in full attack mode as they created chance after chance against a Houston side missing some key players before switching to a more defensive game in the second half. "The first 35 minutes was probably the best weve played this season," said Di Vaio. That followed perhaps their worse performance when they lost 2-0 in Columbus on Saturday night. "I knew the team was ready to respond," said Impact coach Marco Schallibaum, who was back after serving a one-game suspension for arguing a call in a 2-1 win in Kansas City on June 1. "Especially in the first half it was amazing to see the team. There were a lot of chances and very nice football. We were less good in the second, but we were very solid defensively." Daniele Paponi missed two good chances in the first eight minutes and had another called offside. Only 13 minutes in, Patrice Bernier sent a clever pass over the defence and Felipe chested it down before scoring his third of the season. The Dynamo wasted a glorious chance to tie it in the 20th minute when Matteo Ferrari was called for a late tackle in the area on Will Bruin. But Englishman Giles Barnes hooked the ball from the penalty spot well over the net.dddddddddddd Then it was Corey Ashes turn to misfire as he shanked an attempt to play the ball back to Houston goalie Tally Hall in the 32nd. Di Vaio ran it down, went in alone and calmly chipped it home. Houston had a good chance after a free kick in the 58th, but Warren Creavalles left footed shot went just over the bar. "There are ups and downs in every season, but for us its a matter of starting games better," said Houston veteran Brian Ching. "They took the game to us for the first 25 minutes or so, but I thought we did well to create some opportunities after that. "The difference was that they finished their chances and we didnt." Di Vaio had the crowd on its feet in the 62nd as he headed Nyassis pass off the bar, then recovered the ball but shot just wide. "Di Vaio works very hard and for his age, hes very fit," Schallibaum said of the 36-year-old. "He could have scored two or three more.. "Hes like Alessandro Nesta. Hes an asset for us. The young players learn from him." The 37-year-old Nesta also returned from a one-game ban to take back his spot in the central defence. The Impact have not lost a game that the former AC Milan star has started. The crowd booed when Ching subbed in for Barnes in the 78th. Ching was claimed by Montreal in the 2012 expansion draft but asked to be dealt back to Houston. Notes: Houston was missing two players to international duty, Honduran Boniek Garcia and American Brad Davis. ... Montreal made four changes after their loss in Columbus over the weekend. Paponi and Andrea Pisanu started, while Sanna Nyassi was back from playing for Gambia. Alessandro Nesta returned from a one-game suspension. Justin Mapp sat out with a thigh injury. ' ' '