CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Manny Ramirez on Friday for his work with the Cubs minor leaguers in Arizona, and said the former major league star could join Triple-A Iowa next week. Ramirez signed a minor league deal in May and reported to the teams facility in Mesa to get some at-bats in extended spring training. When Ramirez moves to Iowa, he will be a player-coach for Chicagos top farm club. "Ive gotten unsolicited emails and texts from a lot of the staff down there saying that hes been a breath of fresh air and the best thing that ever happened to the kids down in Mesa," Epstein said before the Cubs 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "So Im really pleased with the impact hes making on the organization. "Probably sometime next week that hes ready to go to Iowa, but were not in a rush because hes making an impact with the young kids down there who are getting their first taste of pro ball as well as guys like Jorge Soler, who are there rehabbing. Mannys been a really nice influence so far." The 42-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. But the Cubs brought him in to serve as a mentor for some of their young players and insist he is not a candidate for a promotion to the major league club. The addition of Ramirez was a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who was the general manager in Boston when the enigmatic slugger helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and 2007. 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. He also has been criticized in the past for lackadaisical play, but Epstein thinks he can be a valuable teacher for Chicagos rich minor league system. "Hes been meeting with the young kids there daily, pulling them aside, talking about hitting, talking about not making some of the same mistakes that he made off the field, really keeping them focused on working hard and having a passion for the game and doing things the right way," Epstein said. When Ramirez gets to Iowa, he will get a chance to work one of the majors best prospects in third baseman Kris Bryant. The No. 2 overall selection in last years draft hit .355 with 20 homers in 68 games with Double-A Tennessee, and then belted a two-run shot in his debut with Iowa on Thursday night. The promotion to Triple-A means Bryant is just one step away from joining the Cubs, but Epstein made it sound as if that would be next season at the earliest. "I dont forsee a scenario where hed be up this year," he said. "I dont think its the right thing to do for someone in his first full professional season, barring extraordinary circumstances both in respect to the player and whats going on at the big league club." Epstein also is pleased with what he has seen so far from this years first-round pick, Kyle Schwarber. The No. 4 overall selection from Indiana University was quickly promoted from Chicagos short-season Class A affiliate in Boise, Idaho, to Single-A Kane County. There is some question about whether Schwarber will play catcher or left field in the pros, but it looks as if that decision can wait for now. "We decided this year, his first exposure to pro ball, were going to have him see a lot of time in left field, let him catch about once a week, maybe twice a week, so he can stay fresh with his catching, DH some so that he can keep his bat in the lineup when he needs a day off," Epstein said. "Then were going to sit down at the end of the minor league season and see whether its an appropriate time to make a call." Shoes NZ Nike . - For a general manager who preaches building through the draft, Reggie McKenzie has struggled to find impact players his first two years in Oakland. Shoes NZ Sale . Jagr had a goal and two assists, Andy Greene scored 43 seconds into overtime and Marek Zidlicky had two goals as the Devils rallied past the Washington Capitals 5-4 Saturday night. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/. Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Shoes NZ Online . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Shoes NZ Outlet . The San Antonio Spurs handled the conditions, and the team, and it sure helped when a suffering LeBron James couldnt make it to the finish. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A concussion that has kept quarterback Kevin Kolb sidelined since August, cost him his job with the Buffalo Bills. Without going into detail, general manager Doug Whaley announced Tuesday the team released Kolb after he failed a physical. The move came shortly after the start of the NFLs free agency period and a few days before Kolb was due a bonus as part of the two-year contract he signed with Buffalo in April. Now there are questions whether Kolbs career might be over after he sustained what was at least his third concussion in seven seasons. The latest occurred during the first quarter of a 30-7 preseason loss at Washington on Aug. 24, when Kolb was kneed in the back of the head at the end of a scramble. Diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, Kolb was placed on injured reserve a week later and spent much of the season recovering at his home in Texas. The Bills were Kolbs third team since being selected in the second round of the 2007 draft by Philadelphia. A concussion in 2009 resulted in Kolb losing the starting job to Michael Vick in Philadelphia. He then spent two seasons in Arizona, where he failed to secure the starting job because of an assortment of injuries. Buffalo signed Kolb to provide veteran experience and leadership behind rookie starter EJ Manuel. The Bills made two moves in free agency by re-signing veteran kicker Dan Carpenter, who signed a four-year contract, and tight end Mike Caussin. Carpenter returns to Buffalo after what proved to be a successful one-year tryout as an injury replacement after rookie sixth-round draft pick Dustin Hopkins hurt his groin six days before the season opener. The sixth-year player proceeded to enjoy a career year. Carpenters 33 field goals were a career high and tied the Bills single-season record set by Steve Christie in 1998. Carpenters return leaves Hopkins future uncertain. Carpenter was so eager to re-sign with the Bills that he, his wife Kaela and son Colby arrived at the teams headquarters to complete negotiations after travelling from his home in Florida oon Tuesday.dddddddddddd Under NFL rules, Carpenter was not allowed to re-sign with Buffalo before free agency began because he had signed a one-year deal at the league veteran minimum. "I dont think we would have got on the plane if we didnt think there was a future here in Buffalo," Carpenter said. "For us, it was a no-brainer to come back to Buffalo. We were comfortable and loved it here last year." The signing ends what was a tumultuous stretch for Carpenter, who took a circuitous route to Buffalo after spending his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Carpenters contract was terminated by the Dolphins in mid-August, and he failed to land a job in two brief stints with Arizona and the New York Jets. Carpenter was on his way for a tryout with Cleveland before making a detour to Buffalo. "To be able to go back somewhere and be wanted is where you would like to go," he said. "Youre very fortunate in this league for that to happen." A 2009 Pro Bowl selection, Carpenter provided Buffalo a veteran and dependable presence. He hit 33 of 36 field-goal attempts, including 29 of 30 from inside 50 yards last season. With a 91.67 per cent success rate, Carpenter fell just short of breaking Rian Lindells single-season record of 92 per cent (23 of 25) set in 2006. And Carpenters 131 points ranked third on the Bills single-season list. Overall, his 160 field goals since 2008 rank fourth among kickers during that span. Caussin returns after he was eligible to become a restricted free agent, and despite missing the past two seasons because of injuries. He was sidelined last season with a hip injury sustained early in training camp, and missed 2012 because of a knee injury. Caussin had five catches for 41 yards in six games, including two starts, with Buffalo in 2011 after being promoted off the teams practice squad. He broke into the NFL with Jacksonville in 2010 as an undrafted free agent, but did not play a game with the Jaguars. The Bills have a need at tight end, with starter Scott Chandler becoming a free agent. ' ' '