scheme. Its been hit or miss on all the different sch

MIAMI -- Despite all his accomplishments, Jose Fernandez never pitched a complete game, and on Thursday he was carried out of church in a casket with too much unfinished business.The choir struck up God Bless America, and mourners began to cry yet again as they joined in, celebrating the place that welcomed the Cuban defector and now must say goodbye.The last formal farewell came at a private Catholic mass attended by about 300 friends and relatives who nearly filled the large sanctuary. Those in attendance included Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, busloads of current and former Miami Marlins players, former Marlins manager Jack McKeon and two Hall of Famers, Marlins executives Tony Perez and Andre Dawson.We werent supposed to be here today, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said.Its very difficult to understand this, said the Rev. Jose Alvarez, Catholic ministry liaison to the Marlins. Why so young -- someone with such bright promise?Fernandez, 24, and two friends died in a boat crash early Sunday near Miami Beach.The bilingual service lasted more than two hours, and much of the time was spent celebrating Fernandezs dynamic personality, rather than his considerable exploits as the Marlins precocious ace.The bulletin for the mass included three photos of Fernandez, and each captured his familiar grin.His magnetic smile could light up a ballpark, Loria said. He set the standard for making baseball fun.Pallbearers wore black Fernandez jerseys as they carried his casket, while Marlins manager Don Mattingly and third baseman Martin Prado read scripture. The team has grieved in public and offered moving tributes to Fernandez while finishing out the final six games of the season, which ends Sunday.During the passing of the peace, players lined up to hug and console Fernandezs mother and grandmother, seated in the front row. He also left behind a girlfriend pregnant with their child.He was a young man who was larger than life -- a good, kind-hearted, loving young man who loved life, who loved people, Alvarez said in his homily. He was a guy of enormous dimensions. Jose was too good for this league. Hes going to a higher league.Alvarez said Fernandez is already at work in heaven, noting the improbable homer hit by 170-pound Dee Gordon leading off the first inning of the Marlins emotional first game after the boat crash.A skinny little guy like that is not supposed to hit the ball that far, Alvarez said. Jose is busy, I guarantee you. Jose is still pitching. ... Jose, well never forget you. We ask that you never forget us.Fernandez and his mother defected from Cuba by boat on his fourth try when he was 15. He broke into the majors with Miami in 2013 and quickly became a local celebrity, thanks to his rare combination of charisma and talent, along with a backstory that resonated in South Floridas Cuban community.Fernandez was a 2013 NL Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star, but his proudest moment came when he bought his mother a house, said his agent, Scott Boras.He was crying, said Boras, crying himself. He said, `Can you believe it?! I bought my mother a home in the United States!Boras also recalled a conversation with Fernandez after he had reconstructive elbow surgery, which sidelined him for 14 months in 2014-15.His first words in the recovery room to me were, `You wait. Im going to be the best there is, Boras recalled.The hard-throwing right-hander went 38-17 in 76 starts over four major league seasons, but glittering statistics werent the reason Loria said Fernandez will never be replaced or forgotten.I prefer not to think of this tragedy as the end of his life, Loria said, but rather as the beginning of the legend. Terry Francona Indians Jersey . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Cleveland Indians Store . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/4298u-mike-clevinger-jersey-indians.html . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Corey Kluber Indians Jersey . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Tyler Olson Indians Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andy Reid has been around long enough to know that focusing on the playoffs with three games left in the regular season is foolish, a trap that can derail a team capable of much bigger things.He also knows something about human nature.So, try as he might to stop his Chiefs from pondering what the future could hold on Sunday, the old coach reluctantly acknowledged that everybody on his sideline will be well aware of the stakes.Probably everyone on the Tennessee sideline, too.I know its an important time of the year. I know that. And if youre in the hunt, every game becomes an important game, right? Reid asked. If you can just keep it that simple from a coach and player standpoint, youre doing OK. Its going to get blown up around you, but we dont talk about it.The Chiefs (10-3), tied atop the AFC West after last weeks win over Oakland, are among three teams that can clinch a playoff spot this week. Beating the Titans is the easiest way, but they could back into a playoff spot if things break their way in games involving Denver, Pittsburgh and Miami.But there is more at stake than just the playoffs, which is why Reid and Co. are focused solely on beating the red-hot Titans. They still believe they can earn a first-round bye and the AFCs No. 2 seed.Theres a lot of incentives to put on this game, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said. You want a ticket to the dance. You cant win it unless you get in, so you want to clinch it, for sure.There are nearly as many incentives for the Titans (7-6), who are tied with Houston atop the AFC South. But while the Chiefs are almost certain to make the playoffs as a wild-card if they cant hold off Oakland in the division, the Titans only hope for the postseason may be as a division champ.I know they know the big picture, Titans coach Mike Mularkey said, echoing his counterpart, but Im going to keep them on the same picture weve been on that weve got to win this game. We have to win. We have to go to a tough environment in Kansas City, a team thats playing extremely well, and weve got to win this game or everything else is irrelevant.As two playoff contenders prepare to tangle at Arrowhead Stadium, here are some key story lines:BUNDLE UP: The Chiefs-Raiders game Thursday night ended with temperatures in the low-20s, and thats going too feel balmy.dddddddddddd Snow is in the forecast on Saturday with temps at kickoff Sunday in the low-teens.Probably one of my last college games at Oregon, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota said, it got down into the high-20s. So this will be the coldest game Ive played, for sure.RUN, RUN, RUN: The Titans roll into the game with the leagues third-best rushing offense, buoyed by DeMarco Murrays resurgent season and Derrick Henrys increased role in the offense. And theyll be facing a Chiefs defense missing linebacker Derrick Johnson, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last week.Next man up. Thats what happened with me, Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston said. They played the first eight games this season without me and they did a great job. So its next man up. Im going to pray for him and hope he stays strong. I know hell stay strong. But the next man needs to be prepared.SPEAKING OF RUNNING: The Chiefs have struggled to run the ball for weeks, and much of the shine has worn off Spencer Ware, who was a fantasy football darling through the first six weeks.Its not one person, one scheme. Its been hit or miss on all the different schemes, Reid said. We can tighten it up, and we can give the players some things that might be a little better for what they do.TYREEK THE FREAK: Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill was the AFC special teams player of the week after his punt return touchdown against Oakland. He also caught a TD pass in the game. And with a kick return TD and a TD run, hes the first rookie since Gale Sayers to score each of those ways.I have to give a shoutout to my brothers out there on the field fighting for me, doing everything that theyre supposed to do, Hill said. Without those guys, I wouldnt be standing here in front of you.RED ZONE EFFICIENCY: The Titans are among the best in the NFL at scoring touchdowns in the red zone, while the Chiefs are among the worst. Mariota has thrown 32 TD passes without a pick in those spots.He has a very quick release and theres not a lot of room for error down there, a lot of tight windows, Mularkey said, and I think hes been very good with that.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '