Wichtig » ckham Jrs absence, he told NFL Total Access: This is my top fi

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Its one thing, Chris Sale said, to finally get traded after more than two years of rampant speculation. Its another to join a team that expects to reach the playoffs and the World Series.But to pitch in a starting rotation that includes two Cy Young Award winners?That, Sale said Wednesday, is kind of the cherry on top.One day after acquiring Sale in a haymaker of a trade at baseballs winter meetings, the Boston Red Sox unveiled their new pitcher on a conference call Wednesday. Sale called the Red Sox one of the greatest baseball franchises ever and expressed excitement over joining co-aces David Price and Rick Porcello on a playoff contender rather than staying with the Chicago White Sox, who have missed the postseason every year since Sale broke into the big leagues in 2010.Sale said the first Red Sox player to contact him was Price, who endured a challenging first season in Boston after signing a $217 million contract last winter. Sale has gotten to know Price over the years and makes his offseason home not far from Porcello in southwestern Florida.After years as the White Soxs clear-cut ace, Sale will have to share that title -- not that he cares.We play for a trophy, not a tag, Sale said. I can definitely see a competition between all of us. Not only us three, but everybody -- [Drew] Pomeranz, [Eduardo] Rodriguez -- pushing each other, trying to be better and just making each other better. It would be nice, regardless of whos pitching on what night, the next night, we have as good if not a better chance all the way down the line.It takes some pressure off of everybody because you dont have to feel like you have a huge weight on your shoulders to win this game. It alleviates the pressure that might build on some guys.Sale, a 27-year-old left-hander, has been as consistently dominant as any pitcher over the past five years, posting a 3.04 ERA, 1.061 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings while finishing in the top five in Cy Young Award balloting four years running. He also has one of the most team-friendly contracts in the game, with one guaranteed year and two club options remaining at a total cost of $38 million.But the White Sox are committed to a full-scale rebuild. After resisting the urge to trade Sale for the past few years, they sent strong signals last month that they would move him, then finally relented when the Red Sox agreed to include prized 21-year-old infielder Yoan Moncada and hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech, two of the best prospects in baseball.Its kind of like being the monkey in the middle. Youre glad when you finally get the ball, Sale said of getting dealt. Its hectic. Theres a lot of speculation. Theres story after story. Im obviously getting flooded with text messages from family and friends. Just to have the whole process out of the way and get back to some kind of normalcy will be nice.In Boston, theres always pressure to win. But Sale said he tunes out external noise by not hanging out on social media, reading everything thats written about him or listening to sports radio. If anything, he says the intensity of pitching in front of sold-out crowds at Fenway Park will provide a little bit of a jolt.Im really more focused on the between-the-lines stuff, Sale said. Thats what I signed up for. Thats what I look forward to. Thats what I live for, playing the game of baseball. Everything else will take care of itself. Itll shake out. The good outweighs the bad. Youve got to roll with it.Sale, Price and Porcello become baseballs latest über-rotation, following other recent star-studded staffs such as the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels) and the 2015 Washington Nationals (Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann). And while a trio of aces doesnt automatically equate to a World Series ring or even punch a ticket to the playoffs, its a good place to start.Porcello, who turns 28 this month, is coming off a Cy Young-winning season in which he went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA. For all his struggles, Price, 31, finished 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA and is two years removed from a Cy Young runner-up season with the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.Sale, the youngest of the bunch, went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA in 32 starts for the White Sox.Im as excited as anybody, honestly. I dont know how you couldnt be, Sale said. Youre in the annual running for making the playoffs and have a realistic chance for winning the World Series. Ive always heard great things about the guys on this team. You have dedicated ownership and front-office guys dedicated to winning annually. Obviously its a very special place.Wholesale Custom Falcons Shirts .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Falcons Jerseys .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. http://www.customfalconsjersey.com/ . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Wholesale Custom Falcons Shirts . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Cheap Custom Falcons Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee.Josh Norman appears to have taken a fresh swipe at Odell Beckham Jr after leaving the New York Giants star out of his list of top five wide receivers.Beckham Jr received a one-game ban after repeated on-field confrontations with Carolina cornerback Norman in last seasons 38-35 home loss to the Panthers.Referring to their physical encounter, Norman said afterwards: I hope I pulled back the mask on who this guy really is. Odell Beckham and Josh Norman clashed during last season A string of gravity-defying catches have raised the profile of Beckham Jr, but the highly-rated 23-year-old was a glaring omission from Normans list of top-five wide receivers. Norman named Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys Dez Bryant, A.J Green from the Cincinnati Bengals, and current team-mate Kelvin Benjamin. I dont know if he would put me on his - I really dont care - but this is my top five. Josh Norman When asked about Beckham Jrs absence, he told NFL Total Access: This is my top five, alright? I dont know if he would put me on his - I really dont care - but this is my top five.So this is what I see. If he wants to get up there, do something to show me. Shoot, man, I played it, I saw it. I dont know, I just didnt think that. But hes working there. I think hes definitely a top 10. Hess working in the top-five bracket.dddddddddddd Maybe if I play him again, hell show me different. Beckham Jr and Norman had an eventful showdown during the last NFL season The feuding pair have since aired their grievances again on social media as Beckham Jr tweeted: That boy should thank me for all Ive done for you !!! Your welcome tho ... Lol.Norman quickly fired back: @Obj_3 As your boy @Drake would say trigger finger turn to Twitter fingers huh? Im not Guna sub Tweet you Ima @ You. So wassup?Click on the video above to see Norman name his top five wide receivers.Also See:Ins and Outs LiveWhich NFL rules could changeNFL VideoNFL on Sky Sports ' ' '