SARASOTA, Fla. -- The noontime sun blazes relentlessly as players from the rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox engage in pregame stretching and throwing. Each player has the same career goal, but the one wearing the No. 21 jersey for the Orioles undoubtedly has the most intriguing background. Hes the only one wearing a microphone with a documentary crew following him. Hes the only one who answers to a cartoonish nickname. Hes the only one who received worldwide attention simply by signing his name on a contract.Hes the one trying to become the first Chinese player by birth and ancestry to play in the major leagues (two American players born in China have reached the majors).Twenty-year-old Xu Guiyuan (pronounced shoo GEE-win) seems somewhat embarrassed by the fuss. He graciously accommodates the media, even though he almost certainly would be more comfortable plying his trade without all the attention. Its valuable experience, however, just like batting, running, throwing and fielding. Because if he does get called up to the majors someday, its going to be a very big deal to millions of people.Playing first base, Xu makes an error on his first fielding chance of the game -- Thats no good for the TV, manager Orlando Gomez jokes in the dugout -- before settling down as the Orioles turn a double play to get out of the inning.Xu grew up in Shenzhen, a growing city near Hong Kong with an estimated population of more than 10 million. He didnt touch a baseball until he was 10 years old, but before long he joined his older brother in playing the sport at school. By age 14, Xu was recruited to the MLB development center in Wuxi, a city of about 6 million in the Jiangsu province. He jumped at the opportunity even though the academy, the first of its kind in that nation, is almost 1,000 miles from Shenzhen.It was there that he acquired his nickname: Itchy. One of the coaches asked players what they wanted to be called, and Xu invoked the name of Ichiro Suzuki.I liked Ichiro, and I wanted to be called Ichiro, Xu said. But my coach said, Too many people are called Ichiro. Then, he called me Itchy. In the beginning, I didnt know what Itchy means. Then when I learned English, then I know. But Im already used to it.Xu was first recruited by MLB International as a left-handed pitcher, but it wasnt long before he showed aptitude as a hitter. Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Litsch coached at the Wuxi academy while Xu was there. Litsch said Xu was clearly the top prospect, and he tried to give him an idea of how to handle the daily rigors and lifestyle of being a professional ballplayer.As far as ability, he definitely stood out, said Litsch, who now serves as pitching coach for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. Hes the one who hit the balls over the fence. Hes the one that showed the most potential -- not only as a player, as a person too, with his [speaking] English and stuff like that. That plays a big factor in it also.By 2015, Xu had shown enough promise for the Orioles to make him the first player from an MLB academy in China to sign a pro contract.Baltimore general manager Dan Duquette has seen baseball grow internationally over the past three decades. He was scouting director of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987 when they signed Dave Nilsson, who became the first player to reach the majors after being signed directly from Australia. Duquette fully realizes the significance of signing Xu.Its a milestone in that hes the first player from mainland China, Duquette said. We hope hes the first of many. This is the start of the process.Xu is 6-foot, 185 pounds and bats and throws left-handed. He was listed as a first baseman for much of the season but also has seen time at the corner outfield spots, perhaps a more logical fit for a player his size. He said he doesnt care what position hes playing as long as he gets to keep playing and practicing.Playing defense is a little bit of a challenge, Xu said. Its a struggle, but Im getting better.Against the Red Sox, Xu records the first out of the third inning by digging a throw from the third baseman out of the dirt. When he makes a similar play the following inning, a teammate shouts, Go Itchy. For the final out of the eighth, he scoops up a grounder and carefully flips the ball to his pitcher on the move. At the plate, Xu bats eighth and goes 1-for-3 with a solid single to center.Gomez sees the improvement, but he also has to juggle a 34-man roster. To get in the lineup consistently, a player must perform consistently. Xu started the season impressively, batting .500 (12-for-24) in his first nine games. Since then, hes hitting .143 (8-for-56). Through Tuesday, with two games remaining in the season, he was batting .250 with an OPS of .561 in 32 games overall.Hes making some progress, Gomez said. In the long run, I think hes going to be a better outfielder [than first baseman]. The knowledge of the game is getting better, and that helps a lot. Im happy with the way hes really coming around.Xu faces a steeper learning curve than most of his peers. Hes competing against pitchers with more velocity and movement than he ever saw in China.The speed of the game is something that he has improved on, said GCL Orioles hitting coach Milt May, who played 15 seasons in the major leagues. Its still a work in progress, but hes made great strides along those lines. ... He has since become a pretty good fastball hitter, and thats to his credit. Hes a very teachable guy. Hes all ears. He asks questions and tries to apply things that you might suggest to him.Before he came to America, Xu watched baseball on his phone. With certain players, he would rewind their swings over and over in order to study their mechanics. In addition to Ichiro, he lists Mike Trout and fellow lefties Robinson Cano and Chris Davis among the major league hitters he likes to analyze. Now he watches games with an eye on learning the proper responses to various game situations.Xu lives in a hotel along with many of his teammates, and hes acclimating to life in the United States. Like many Americans his age, he eats a lot of burgers and burritos -- especially double chicken and double steak from Chipotle.Being halfway around the world from his family is difficult, Xu said, but hes committed to the process it will take to climb the organizational ladder. When training in Wuxi, he was far from his family, but at least they were in the same time zone. Now, with a time difference of 12 hours, communicating is considerably more difficult. He stays in touch via FaceTime once or twice a week.Itchy said he enjoys life in America, and being immersed in the culture helps him learn English at a faster pace. Although his background is unique, he said teammates have helped him a lot and made him feel welcome.Guys will joke with him, and he will joke back, Gomez said. The Latin players will give him a little bit of a hard time, and he gives them a hard time back. Before the year is over, he might be speaking Spanish, too.Meantime, MLB is committed to making inroads in China. In addition to the development center in Wuxi, MLB has established academies in the Jiangsu province cities of Changzhou and Nanjing. MLB also reached a deal prior to this season to stream 125 games per year online in China through 2018. The baseball talent pool in China is growing, and more prospects will likely be headed to the American minor leagues in the next decade.Basketballs popularity notably surged in China following the emergence of Shanghai-native Yao Ming in the early 2000s. Although it might not be realistic to expect comparable growth in baseball, MLB must be excited to see how much the game could grow when the first native-born player of Chinese heritage reaches the major leagues.Xu dreams of being the one to break that barrier. Hes well aware of his status as a torchbearer but said he doesnt feel pressure to succeed because of it. Instead, he tries to stay in the moment, remain prepared and give his best effort every day.I want to work hard, Xu said. Keep your goal. Keep your focus. Stay confident.Its difficult to project the potential of any prospect at the rookie level, especially with Xu, who is absorbing so much so quickly. His development over the next year will be telling, Gomez said. At that point, the Orioles talent evaluators will have a much clearer idea of what they have.Ive always said, Anybody whos got a uniform has got a chance, Gomez said. I think with one more year, you can tell what hes going to be.Indeed, the Orioles will know a lot more about Xu by next summer, but it typically takes several years to project a player with some certainty. That said, even if Itchy doesnt ultimately play in the major leagues, Duquette said Xu has a future in baseball if he so chooses, because his experience can help lay the groundwork for a talent pipeline between MLB and China.Im glad we signed him, Duquette said. At the very least, he can go back to China and teach baseball and continue the process. Ombre Hydro Flask Beer & Wine 10 oz Wine Tumbler Black Water Bottle . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Ombre Hydro Flask 64 oz Wide Mouth Cobalt Water Bottle .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. http://www.hydroflaskwaterbottleuk.com/hydro-flask-64-oz.html . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. 21 oz Ombre Hydro Flask Sport Cap Standard Mouth Pacific . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. White Ombre Hydro Flask 40 oz Wide Mouth Water Bottle . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eddie Lacys powerful running early on helped propel the Green Bay Packers to a 20-12 win over the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night.Lacy had nine carries for 45 yards, capped by a 1-yard touchdown dive on third-and-goal, to highlight a 14-play, 74-yard drive to start the game as the Packers again played without quarterback Aaron Rodgers.It shows what were capable of doing, Lacy said. And as long as were all on the same page, we can pretty much have a lot of drives like that.The night was over at that point for Lacy, who made Mike McCarthy happy in the offseason by slimming down after the coach was critical of the lead backs playing weight at the end of last season.With a healthy Rodgers again held out of game action, second-year backup Brett Hundley made the start in his preseason debut.But after directing the early touchdown drive, which used more than half of the clock in the first quarter, Hundley left the game early in the second quarter after he reinjured his left ankle.McCarthy said the teams medical staff doesnt consider the setback to be as bad as the original injury that sidelined Hundley for two weeks before he returned to practice this week.The Packers rushing attack carried the offense with 145 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run by third-string back John Crockett.Derek Carr ran Oaklands offense for a half Thursday, but wasnt effective.The third-year starter completed 9 of 13 passes for just 38 yards and had an underthrown pass to standout receiver Amari Cooper picked off by Damarious Randall.Raiders running back Latavius Murray had six carries for 19 yards against a Green Bay defense that was without three key starters, including linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers.Matthews and Peppers, who have yet to play in the preseason, have been threatened with suspensions by the NFL if they dont cooperate with the leagues investigation of the players alleged link to performance-enhancing drugs.JORDYS BACKA day after the Packers activated Jordy Nelson from the physically unable to perform list, the star receiver suited up for and participated in pregame warmups.It was good to get back out there, Nelson said. Obviously, its another step in the right direction.Nelson was out since the start of training camp with an injury to his left knee, which he called a hiccup.After he missed the 2015 season because of a torn AACL in his right knee, its uncertain if Nelson could play Green Bays next exhibition game, Aug.dddddddddddd. 26 at San Francisco, when Rodgers expects to have extended playing time.MACK ATTACKAll-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack had a big first half for the Raiders in pressuring the pocket.One of Macks two quarterback hits forced Hundley to leave the game after Hundley managed to complete a pass of 31 yards to Davante Adams.Mack later dominated Packers backup rookie left tackle Jason Spriggs on back-to-back plays with a sack of Joe Callahan and then pressuring Callahan into an intentional-grounding penalty.INJURY UPDATERaiders: Starting DE Mario Edwards Jr. (hip) and TE Gabe Holmes (ankle) are out indefinitely after getting hurt in the preseason opener last week. Undrafted rookie RB Jalen Richard (knee) missed a second straight game.Packers: Veteran S Morgan Burnett remains sidelined because of a back injury that flared up before last weeks first game. Micah Hyde again made the start in Burnetts absence.QUOTABLERaiders: Not the kind of sharp showing were looking for. A lot of things we can learn from and move on. Thats what we have to do. -- Coach Jack Del Rio on the teams performance.ROOKIE WATCHRaiders: QB Connor Cook, the teams fourth-round draft pick, went 6 of 9 for 101 yards. He had a fourth-quarter pass intercepted by Josh Hawkins.Packers: DE Dean Lowry, a fourth-round draft choice, started in Green Bays base defense for the second straight game.QB COMPARISONRaiders: Top backup Matt McGloin was 2 of 5 for 2 yards before giving way to Cook late in the third quarter.Packers: Hundley went 5 of 7 for 67 yards before leaving with the injury. . Callahan, who started the first preseason game, was 9 of 17 for 65 yards. Fellow undrafted rookie Marquise Williams finished, but didnt throw a pass.BIG DEBUTJustin McInnes was the line judge for the game, marking the first time a current Canadian Football League official worked an NFL game.McInnes was part of an eight-man crew led by referee Bill Vinovich on Thursday.Two other CFL officials are working NFL exhibition games this week as part of the two leagues officiating development program.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '