ARLINGTON, Texas --?Adrian Beltre slid headfirst into second, arriving just before the tag. Then the fun began.Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar put his glove on Beltres left hand. Beltre, still on all fours, put his right hand on the base, pulling his left hand back. So Villar put the glove on his right hand. Then Beltre put his left hand back on the base and pulled his right hand back. So Villar put his glove on his left hand again.This impromptu game of baseball patty cake lasted about five seconds unless, of course, you watched the GIF on Twitter, repeatedly.That is the essence of Beltre. Play hard. Laugh hard. Repeat.Beltres sense of humor has been on display throughout the season, whether hes goofing off on a popup with shortstop Elvis Andrus, asking the umpire for his own appeal of a pitch he didnt swing at, rounding first base on a base hit and doing an exaggerated scramble to return to the base or performing a quick cha-cha when an inside pitch comes close to hitting him.But hes the same guy who has mastered the art of charging grounders and throwing out runners from impossible arm angles. More than once, he has hit a homer while dropping to one knee after a ferocious swing. He controls the Rangers clubhouse, whether its chastising Andrus in April for not running hard because Andrus thought he had homered and wound up with a double or giving Rougned Odor a little smack on the neck in August for an ill-conceived baserunning error. Odor responded with a walk-off homer.On our team, the only guy I can think of who compared in the same sort of joy was Pudge [Ivan Rodriguez], said Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel, who has been calling games since 1979.I look for guys who play with a smile on their face. Its one of the things that made [Ken] Griffey [Jr.] so popular in his generation. All of these kids who tell you Griffey was their idol, that was one of the reasons. He seemed to be having so much fun doing it. He really was a kid playing a game, even later on his career.The 37-year-old Beltre, playing in his 19th season, is totally at peace with himself on the baseball diamond. The Rangers cleanup hitter finished the season hitting .300 with 32 homers, 104 RBIs and OPs of .879.As the Rangers have clinched the American League West title for the fourth time in seven years and have the ALs best record to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Beltre has been at his best. The Rangers will host the?Toronto Blue Jays?on Thursday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Globe Life Park.Since Aug. 1, Beltre has 16 homers and 39 RBIs. No one has enjoyed this season more than Beltre.Coming up in the system, hes the guy we always watched and coaches always talked about, Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo said. They teach us to play like him and have fun. Obviously, there are things he can do that we arent allowed to do. Rookies just cant do what he does -- I might get in trouble for goofing around on a popup -- but when youve done what hes done in the game and you have Beltre on your back, you can do it.Beltre hasnt always been this way. Earlier in this career, he put so much pressure on himself to produce so he could take care of his family that he forgot why he loved the game. Hitting and fielding became a 9-to-5-like job, not a game grown men are blessed to earn millions playing.His wife, Sandra, and his three children -- ages 12, 10 and 6 -- changed all that.I wasnt doing good at the time. I was having slow starts in the first half of the season and that would kill me, Beltre said. I didnt enjoy the game. I didnt sleep. I didnt enjoy doing anything outside of baseball.My wife helped me understand everythings not about baseball. Its what you like to do and you get paid for it, but once youre off the field, you have a life. Once I had a baby, I understood that Im a husband and a father and thats going to come first.Then I started enjoying the game, he continued. I could just go out there and do my job -- work hard at it -- and let my talent take over.These days, Beltre often takes 15 to 20 minutes to hit or play catch with his son, Adrian Jr., between watching video, batting practice and the other parts of his routine he does to get ready for game day. No one prepares harder. His teammates will attest to that.His work ethic and production are why teammates respect him -- and thats the only thing he craves more than laughter on the diamond.I like to have fun and enjoy the game but at the same time not to disrespect anybody or offend anybody, Beltre said. I try not to cross the line. I always wanted to do things the right way, so people will respect me.I take a lot of pride in people respecting me. For me, its really important. For me, personally, when I hear guys that I played against for a while say, Hey, Im a big fan, I respect you, that means a lot more than anything else.Jeff Banister didnt know Beltre before being named the Rangers manager prior to the 2015 season. Banister quickly learned about Beltres baseball values.What Ive gotten to know and love most about him is the tremendous heart he has, Banister said. The leadership is off the charts. Its as good as you would want in any player in any point of their career. The love of the game is unmatched with anybody Ive ever been around.You see it in his smile. You see it in his actions. You see how he plays. At his age, he continues to show up every single day the same way. Every single day. You see the joy that he has ... then you see the vet take over when he sees other players not give the game the respect that it needs. You dont do that if you dont really love the game.Beltre has impacted Andrus more than any other player. Theyve shared the left side of the infield for six years and have produced some of the games most spectacular and comedic moments. There is a two-minute video of Beltre and Andrus goofing off on the field. Most of the time Andrus incites a scowl; one time Beltre threw his glove at Andrus during a mound visit.After Beltre homers, you can count on Andrus to remove Beltres batting helmet once he is in the dugout and touch his head, which just happens to be Beltres pet peeve.Its like when you have an annoying little brother and you want to help him as much as you can, because you want to see him succeed, but at the same time, he annoys the heck out of you. Thats Elvis, Beltre said.Despite the fun times, Andrus said Beltre has taught him the most important aspect of being a pro.I have to find a way to play every single day with pain or no pain, Andrus said. Half a leg or half a finger, just find a way to play. Theres something you can do that day to help the team win. Thats something I take pride in and try to follow.The Rangers won more than 90 games for the fifth time in seven years. They have a lineup capable of manufacturing runs or winning with a barrage of homers. Their bullpen had a string of 35? scoreless innings snapped on Sunday, and they believe their top two starters -- Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish -- are among the games best.Theres no reason they cant win a title.Ive spent 19 years in the big leagues, but I only been close once. Thats how difficult it is to win a championship, Beltre said. I dont want them to take it for granted, because once you get an opportunity like we have this year, you have to take advantage of it. You cant think we might do it next year.No, this is it. You never know when youre going to get back here. You have to go all out.He was not smiling when he said it. Youth Bradley Chubb Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. 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NEW ORLEANS -- Things were a little fuzzy for Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson after watching Devin Booker tie the game with a tough shot at the regulation buzzer.I remember the shot, but honestly I dont remember the play, he said. Im going to watch (the game) tonight on the plane. I will collect my thoughts and will try to see what I was thinking.I know we ran that play for him for sure.Good idea.Booker scored 38 points, including the improbable jumper that tied it at the buzzer, and the Suns beat New Orleans 112-111 in overtime Friday night, keeping the Pelicans winless on the season.T.J. Warren added 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Suns (2-4), while Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 18 rebounds.Anthony Davis had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans (0-6), while forward Terrence Jones, starting in place of the suspended Dante Cunningham, had 19 points. Though the Pelicans outshot the Suns 46 percent to 43 percent, they managed to shoot just 53.6 percent from the free throw line (15 of 28). The Suns finished 24 of 28 at the line.The win was second in a row for the Suns who started the season with a four-game losing streak. The Pelicans started 0-6 for the second straight season.Its good that were able to get these wins, especially as a young team, Chandler said. Well start trying to close these teams out earlier, but it does build character in the long run.I thought we were on the right track before, but unfortunately we got a couple of losses. But I definitely like the way weve been playing all season.Booker tied the game at 102 with a fadeaway jumper from the side as time expired. He had made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100. With 11.7 seconds remaining, Lance Stephenson took the entry pass down the left side of the lane and threw up a fall-away floater, which he watched go in as he fell to the court, leaving 2.1 seconds to play.He made a great shot, a contested jump shot, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. Hes a great player.A back-and-forth overtime ended with Pelicans guard ETwaun Moore making two free throws with 8.6 seconds left after being fouled by Booker, who fouled out. But Warren took an inbounds pass from P.J. Tucker, cut through the lane and dunked, giving the Suns a 112-111 lead. Moore missed a jump shot as time expired.I thought we became too cautious at times, Gentry said. You cant play that way. If it doesnt work out, it doesnt work out, bbut you cant be cautious.ddddddddddddIt was the second straight overtime game for both teams. The Suns beat Portland 118-115 on Wednesday night in Phoenix, while New Orleans fell 89-83 at Memphis the same night.TIP-INSSuns: Booker had three of the Suns 8 3-pointers for the game. ... Bledsoe led the Suns with four assists.Pelicans: F Dante Cunningham was suspended for the game by the NBA after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle in a negligent manner while exhibiting the effects of having consumed alcohol in Washington state, according to a league press release.The NBA just let us know (today), Gentry said before the game. Its no big deal. Its something that happened and he regrets it.No other information was available from Pelicans team officials.Jones, his replacement, made the most of his first start for the Pelicans, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks. ... Buddy Hield and Langston Galloway combined to go 4 of 7 from 3-point range in the first 4 minutes and finished a combined 6 for 16 for the game.PELICANS SCARE:With 4:19 left in the fourth quarter Booker bumped Davis as he raced down the court to receive a long pass from Stephenson. Davis remained on the court for some time. He returned to the game and Booker was charged with a common foul.Booker said he wasnt fazed by the boos he received after he knocked down Davis.The crowd turned against me after that AD play, but I embraced it and had fun with it, Booker said. I talked to him afterwards about it and he said that he wasnt hurt or anything by it. He did tell me I overdid it though.OVER/UNDERGentry praised Suns small forward Jared Dudley, whom he coached for four years during his tenure in Phoenix, though not without a dash of his good-natured humor.Hes the least athletic (small forward) in the history of the game, said Gentry, laughing. Hes just really smart. He found his game to be effective in this league and sometimes thats tough to do.Still, Gentry doesnt expect Dudley to transform into a rim-crashing machine this year. Asked if he thought Dudley would achieve his promise of throwing down five dunks this season, Gentry replied, Id take the under on that one.UP NEXTSuns: visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.Pelicans: visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Hoodies Wholesale NFL T-shirts Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '