Wichtig » Houston made the playoffs in the weak

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Ramirez is apparently cutting his long dreadlocks for another shot at the major leagues. The Texas Rangers said Wednesday they had agreed to terms on a minor league contract with the 41-year-old slugger, who hasnt played in the big leagues since 2011 with Tampa Bay. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said part of the deal was Ramirez, twice suspended for testing positive for banned drugs, agreeing to cut his hair and "comply with our minor league rules on appearance and discipline." Ramirez was set to report to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, and he will be a designated hitter whenever he is activated. He played for three months in Taiwan before leaving the Rhinos on June 20. "Its kind of a no-risk flier," said Daniels, indicating there was no time frame for him to be called up to the majors. "We like giving guys second chances. We know on and off the field the good and bad in Mannys career. But were inclined to give him an opportunity here." Ramirez hit .352 with eight homers and 43 RBIs for the Rhinos. The team tried to keep the 12-time All-Star, but he wanted to return to his family in New York. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. A lifetime .312 hitter, Ramirez is 14th on the career home runs list with 555. The Rangers didnt see Ramirez play in Taiwan, nor were they among the teams that worked him out in Florida recently, Daniels said. The Rangers GM said Ramirez was looking for an opportunity either in the U.S. or Japan. "Were really just kind of going off the resume here a little bit," Daniels said. "If hes productive and we feel he fits our culture here in the clubhouse, well give him an opportunity. If either of those ends dont pan out, then kind of no harm, no foul." Ramirez won two World Series with Boston, including 2007 when Rangers hitting coach Dave Magadan was in his first year in that job with the Red Sox. But he had a stormy end when he forced his way out of Boston in a trade a year later, a point that Magadan made to Daniels when they discussed Ramirez. "There were some bridges that were burned in Boston," Magadan said. "It was unfortunate the way it ended up there because he did a lot of good things while he was there. But in the end it wasnt pretty." Ramirez hit 17 homers in the final 53 games of 2008 after the trade to Los Angeles, but he has just 28 since then because of injuries and the suspensions. He was 1 for 17 without a homer with Tampa when the second drug suspension hit two years ago. "I think its a guy who loves the game and just wants to continue to play," New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before Wednesdays game in Minnesota. "You dont ever want to feel like you took your uniform off sooner than you shouldve. So good for him." The Rangers entered their game against Seattle without a home run in four straight games, their longest streak in more than two years. They need a right-handed power bat with switch-hitter Lance Berkman struggling through a knee injury and hitting just .198 in his past 25 games. "I havent really seen him on video, just a couple of highlights Ive seen from some of his home runs in Taiwan," Magadan said. "Well see how it goes when he gets to Round Rock and see what kind of shape hes in and see if he can still swing it." He apparently wont be swinging any dreadlocks, though.Custom Dennis Johnson Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Custom John Havlicek Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. http://www.customcelticsjersey.com/custom-robert-parish-jersey-large-77e.html . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Custom Walter Brown Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Bob Cousy Jersey Large .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy.DALLAS -- The Indianapolis Colts played mostly without Andrew Luck when they missed the playoffs in 2015 after winning their division a year earlier.The star quarterback returns, and so do postseason expectations for a team that has made the playoffs 14 of the past 17 seasons.And maybe this is the year for the Oakland Raiders, who havent had a winning season or made the playoffs since losing the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.Luck missed nine games with an assortment of injuries and struggled with turnovers when he was playing. Protecting the fifth-year star is also a priority, with heavy investment in the offensive line and Lucks offseason effort to refine his sliding technique to avoid big hits.The Raiders have bigger hopes after a six-win improvement under coach Jack Del Rio to 7-9, with a promising young quarterback in Derek Carr and a potential superstar receiver in Amari Cooper. The defense has a proven pass rusher in All-Pro Khalil Mack, who had 15 sacks.Besides the Colts, Dallas, Detroit and Baltimore were the other 2014 playoff qualifiers to miss a year later. The Cowboys are without Tony Romo again after he broke a bone in his back in a preseason game, the Lions are trying to move on after receiver Calvin Johnsons retirement, and the Ravens are stuck in a tough division.With all that in mind, heres a glance at four potential playoff qualifiers that didnt make it a year ago, and four prospects for missing out a year after getting in:COULD GET BACK INColts: Coach Chuck Pagano overhauled his staff after going 8-8 following 11-5 records in his first three seasons. First-round pick Ryan Kelly is a walk-in starter at center, and former Miami coach Joe Philbin is in charge of the blockers. Frank Gore believes he can end Indys eight-year stretch without a 1,000-yard rusher. Linebacker Robert Mathis should be motivated to help improve a struggling run defense in the final year of the 35-year-olds contract.Giants: New York spent big to re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul and lure fellow pass rusher Olivier Vernon and other free agents after missing the playoffs four straight years since winning the 2011 championship. Ben McAdoo replaced longtime coach Tom Coughlin. Eli Manning and top receiver Odell Beckham Jr. always give the Giants a chance to have an elite offense in the potentially weak NFC East.Raiders: Carr took a step forward in his second season, throwing for 32 touchdowns and 3,987 yards. Cooper has a proven partner in Michael Crabtree. Latavius Murray was a 1,000-yard back. Oakland lost a lot of leadership with the retirements of safety Charles Woodson and defensive end Justin Tuck. Butt the Raiders hope to fill the void with four free agents: guard Kelechi Osemele, cornerback Sean Smith, linebacker Bruce Irvin, and safety Reggie Nelson.ddddddddddddJets: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick missed the offseason in a contract dispute but has been around long enough that it shouldnt matter much. Versatile running back Matt Forte is joining an offense with receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who combined for more than 2,500 yards and 26 touchdowns. The question is whether they can survive a schedule that includes six road games in the first nine weeks, and five of those opponents made the playoffs last year.MIGHT NOT BE BACKRedskins: Kirk Cousins had never won more than one game or started more than six before leading Washington to nine wins and the playoffs last season. He will have to match his NFL-best 70 percent completion rate if the Redskins cant improve on a 28th-ranked defense. Cornerback Josh Norman and safety David Bruton Jr. were brought in as free agents to try to boost that unit.Texans: Houston made the playoffs in the weak AFC South, then proved it didnt belong with a 30-0 loss to Kansas City. The Texans are banking on Brock Osweiler proving he can be the playoff winner after he didnt get a chance to show that behind Peyton Manning in Denver. Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt is coming off back surgery that kept him out for the start of training camp.Broncos: No Manning after he retired. No Osweiler after he spurned the Super Bowl champs to sign with Houston. And now free agent pickup Mark Sanchez was beaten out by 2015 seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian of Northwestern. Rookie first-rounder Paxton Lynch will have to wait for his chance. The uncertainty at quarterback makes Denver vulnerable, but one of the best defenses in the league is spearheaded by superstar linebacker Von Miller.Steelers: Is it crazy to bet against Ben Roethlisberger, especially after he threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns in what are likely his only two series of the preseason? Perhaps. So how about this? The Steelers have never made the playoffs three straight seasons under the 13th-year quarterback, and they are coming off their fourth set of back-to-back appearances with him. Plus, running back LeVeon Bell will be suspended the first three games and hasnt been able to stay healthy the past two years.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apschuyler ' ' '