ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays arent wary of Kevin Cashs age and inexperience.The team tabbed the former Cleveland Indians bullpen coach as Joe Maddons replacement on Friday, selecting him over ex-Seattle Mariners manager and current Kansas City Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu.The Tampa native who turns 37 on Saturday has no previous managerial experience, yet the Rays are confident he has what it takes to be successful.It came down to the energy, the poise that he has, the confidence, but the open-mindedness that goes along with it. Thats a rare combination to have in an individual, president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said.Cash wowed the team during a final interview that lasted half-a-day. He becomes the youngest active manager in the majors, taking over a team that made the playoffs four of the past seven seasons under Maddon.After 12 hours we were pretty drained and it felt like Kevin was just getting started, Silverman said.A former catcher who played with five major league teams, including 13 games for Tampa Bay in 2005, Cash served as Terry Franconas bullpen coach in Cleveland the past two seasons.He also interviewed recently for the vacant managerial position with the Texas Rangers. He thought that experience helped when the Rays included him on an initial list of 10 candidates.It wasnt something I was anticipating at this stage. But as I started preparing for the Texas opportunity, I almost kind of gained momentum, gained some confidence, Cash said. I was able to really process some thoughts.Tampa Bay went 754-705 in nine seasons under Maddon, making the playoffs four times, winning two AL East championships and the 2008 AL pennant — all while operating under the constraints of one of baseballs lowest payrolls.The Rays finished 77-85 this year, ending a stretch of six consecutive winning seasons. Maddon was under contract through 2015, but exercised an option to leave when talks on a new deal broke down and joined the Chicago Cubs.The voice is obviously probably going to change a little bit, but the players and the personnel, and the culture, what they created, that is something that Im extremely fortunate to be a part of and join in on, Cash said.The new manager inherits a roster driven by one of the best pitching staffs in the American League. Most of his coaching staff will be comprised of holdovers from Maddons reign.When it got down to it, the security of our situation with our staff in place, and the clubhouse culture that we have, gave us more comfort, Silverman said.But, you look at Kevin, his baseball age is much older than his 37 years on this planet, Silverman added. Hes been a student of the game, and that transition to manager is one we think will be a relatively (smooth) one, one made easier by the environment that we already have here.Maddon opted out of his contract on Oct. 24 and was hired to manage the Cubs.Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said Cashs energy and dynamic personality will fit seamlessly with our clubhouse.Wakamatsu was the only candidate among the finalists with prior managerial experience at any level, having gone 127-147 in one-plus season as the Mariners skipper in 2009 and 2010.Veteran outfielder Raul Ibanez, still an active player after spending his 19th big league season with Kansas City and the Los Angeles Angels, was the third finalist. He withdrew his name from consideration this week.A Tampa native, Cash is not a stranger to the AL East after playing all but 20 games of an eight-year big league career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Rays.Before joining the Indians in 2013, Cash spent one season as a major league advance scout for the Blue Jays.Silverman said it was a tough decision between Cash and Wakamatsu, who has spent 10 seasons as a bench coach with the Royals, Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers.Wakamatsu took over a team that lost 101 games and led Seattle to an 85-77 record in 2009. He fired in August of the following season, when the Mariners stumbled to a 42-70 start.Former Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, one-time Indians manager Manny Acta, Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, San Francisco Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, Rays minor league manager Charlie Montoyo and ex-major league players Craig Counsell and Doug Glanville rounded out a list 10 initial candidates. Jordi Alba Jersey . LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams. Ousmane Dembele Jersey . The union filed a grievance late Thursday, one day after Goodell suspended four players who participated in bounties from 2009-11. The complaint says Goodell is prohibited from punishing players for any aspect of the case occurring before the new collective bargaining agreement was signed last August. http://www.barcelonateampro.com/luis-sua...elona-jersey/.Y. -- That hangover from the Big East tournament is gone for Villanova. Barcelona Jerseys . 15-23, the Ottawa Senators will by hoping to avoid going five straight games without a victory for the first time since a 0-3-2 drought from Oct. Paulinho Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Maria Sharapova survived, and in more ways than one on Thursday at the Australian Open. Sharapova, the 2008 champion and this years third seed, outlasted Italys Karin Knapp 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 in a 3 1/2-hour marathon second-round match that was played in sweltering heat before the roof was closed at Rod Laver Arena. "Im really happy to get through," said Sharapova. "I really am. I worked really hard in the last few months and I wanted this match. I didnt play my best tennis. I didnt do many things well. I got through it, and sometimes thats whats important." Also getting through to the third round were Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska, but in much easier fashion. Azarenka, the two-time defending champion and second seed, claimed a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, while the fifth-seeded Radwanska notched a 6-0, 7-5 win over Olga Govortsova. Sharapova and Knapp opened play Thursday at Laver Arena and the decision to close the roof and halt action on the outer courts because of oppressive heat was made during the match. Rules, therefore, stipulated that the match conclude before the roof could be closed. The two gutted it out through a 108-degree temperature with high humidity. Knapp had Sharapova on the ropes in the third set, holding an 8-7 lead, but the Russians experience came through down the stretch. After holding serve for 8-8, Sharapova broke Knapp to go on top before the four-time Grand Slam champ closed out the contest on her serve. It wasnt easy, however, as Sharapova gave Knapp three points with double-faults in the 18th game before finally prevailing on her fourth match point when Knapp missed on a backhand. "I was up a set and a break and I had many opportunities to finish the match faster," noted Sharapova. "So I would have loved for it to finish faster, but thats what I got and I have to deal with the circumstances. Im all right with that. Im a competitor here, and I worked hard to get through that match. I will have to work just as hard to get through the next ones." Next up for Sharapova, who was an Aussie Open runner-up in 2007 and 2012, will be 25th-seeded Alize Cornet of France after she earned a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 decision over Italys Camila Giorgi. Azarenka, who beat Sharapova for the 2012 title, opened the night session and played under the roof at Laver Arena. She had little trouble in a 34-minute first set, but struggled to polish off Zahlavova Strycova, needing nearly an hour to win the second set. "There was just a moment when I just felt I dropped my intensity a little bit and was watching her a little bit too much," said Azarenka about the second set. "Im glad I could just turn it around in the end and really get back into it and play the way I was playing in the first set." Azarenka will encounter Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in the round of 32. Radwanska had a similar match on Thursday, winning 25 off the 34 points played in a 24-minute first set.dddddddddddd Govortsova made the four-time Aussie Open quarterfinalist work in the second set before ultimately falling. "I started really well today," said Radwanska, who also was able to play indoors at Hisense Arena. "I think then she tried to play more aggressive in the second set and I think I did step backwards, unfortunately. Suddenly I was a break down. But just very happy that I could manage to win that second set and finish the match." Next for Radwanska will be Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Luxembourgs Mandy Minella. Former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki also advanced, as did American Sloane Stephens. The eighth-seeded Jankovic thumped Japans Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-0, while the 10th-seeded Wozniacki went the distance in a 6-0, 1-6, 6-2 triumph over American Christina McHale. Stephens, seeded 13th this year after her surprising semifinal run last year, rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Croatias Ajla Tomljanovic. Up next for Jankovic will be Japans Kurumi Nara, who took out 32nd-seeded Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-3, while Wozniacki will next play Spains Garbine Muguruza, a 6-3, 6-3 victor over Slovakias Anna Schmiedlova, and Stephens will next face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Australias Olivia Rogowska. The hot Muguruza is fresh off her first-ever WTA title in Hobart last week. Eleventh-seeded Romanian Simona Halep bounced back from a slow start against American Varvara Lepchenko to claim a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 win, setting up a third- round matchup with Kazakhstans Zarina Diyas, who downed New Zealands Marina Erakovic by a 6-4, 6-0 margin. Carla Suarez Navarro needed a late rally to fend off Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan, as the 16th-seeded Spaniard secured her place in the next round with a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 8-6 victory. Slovakias Dominika Cibulkova, the 20th seed, awaits Suarez Navarro in the third round after cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Swiss Stefanie Voegele, and the aforementioned Meusburger dismissed 33rd-seeded Serb Bojana Jovanovski 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The excessive heat forced play on the outer courts to be suspended for a few hours and rain also delayed play. The third round will commence Friday, including matches for five-time champion Serena Williams and two-time Aussie Open runner-up Li Na. The world No. 1 and reigning U.S. and French Open champion Williams will face 31st-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, while the fourth-seeded Li will battle 26th-seded Czech Lucie Safarova. Li lost to Azarenka in last years Melbourne finale. Also on Friday, last weeks Sydney runner-up, ninth-seeded German Angelique Kerber, will meet upstart American Alison Riske and 14th-seeded former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic will tangle with 17th-seeded former U.S. Open champ and heavy Aussie crowd favorite Sam Stosur. The former French Open winner Ivanovic was an Aussie Open runner-up to Sharapova in 2008. Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '