When Mike Ilitch was asked about the ramifications of another huge financial commitment by his Detroit Tigers, the octogenarian owner looked down for a couple seconds as if checking his

DETROIT - When Mike Ilitch was asked about the ramifications of another huge financial commitment by his Detroit Tigers, the octogenarian owner looked down for a couple seconds as if checking his wallet. Chidobe Awuzie Jersey .Yeah, Im OK, Ilitch said. Ive got some 20s in there.The Tigers finalized a $68 million, four-year deal with Victor Martinez on Friday, keeping the slugging designated hitter in the middle of their lineup after he finished second in the AL MVP race this year.Martinez hit .335 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs, helping Detroit to its fourth straight AL Central title. Detroit agreed to the lucrative deal less than six weeks before Martinezs 36th birthday, showing the Tigers still are willing to spend big in pursuit of their first World Series championship since 1984.You know how I feel — Ive felt the same way since Ive had the club. I love baseball, Ilitch said. Im very, very fortunate to be an owner of a major league team. Im just a happy man.Martinez shared Ilitchs upbeat outlook after reaching a deal with Detroit relatively early in the off-season. The switch-hitter has batted over .300 in eight of his last nine seasons, not counting 2012, when he missed the whole season with a knee injury. His bat carried the Tigers at times in 2014.Im just real excited for this great opportunity to get my dream complete, which is winning a World Series, Martinez said. I have never been on a team like this.Martinez will make $14 million next season and $18 million annually over the following three years. He can list 10 teams he cant be traded to without consent, and after the 2015 season he would have the right to block any trade as a 10-year veteran who has been with his current club for five years.Detroit began its streak of AL Central titles after signing Martinez heading into the 2011 season, and he was instrumental this year. The Tigers clearly had little interest in trying to replace him, and he was happy to return. Team president Dave Dombrowski recounted a conversation he had with Martinez at the ballpark earlier this year.He says, Ive never done anything like this before, and maybe Im not supposed to do this because my agents may not like this, Dombrowski said. But he said, I want you to know how much I want to be a Detroit Tiger. I dont want to go anywhere after this contract. This is like my home. ... He came and he grabbed me and had that conversation on his own.Detroit has spent heavily in recent years to keep stars Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Anibal Sanchez and now Martinez. The Tigers edged Kansas City by one game this year in the division, then were swept in the AL Division Series by Baltimore.Right-hander Max Scherzer is a free agent, and its not at all clear whether the Tigers will be able to hold onto him, but Detroit has wasted little time trying to take care of other priorities this off-season. The Tigers traded for centre fielder Anthony Gose earlier this week, and they have also signed reliever Joel Hanrahan to a minor league deal.Dombrowski said the Tigers are unlikely to re-sign free agent outfielder Torii Hunter. He also said hes fairly optimistic about the bullpen, which was a trouble spot this year. Hard-throwing right-hander Bruce Rondon missed this whole season with a torn ligament in his right elbow, but Dombrowski is confident hell be back.I like our club, but were only in the middle of November, so were not going to fold up tent at this point, Dombrowski said. Weve still got a long way to go so well see what happens. The good part is we filled the void in the middle of our lineup with a left-handed hitter, we got somebody to play centre field that can really go get the ball. But we can get better. Cowboys Jerseys . LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams. Dorance Armstrong Jr. Jersey . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Mike-White-Cowboys-Jersey/ . Will Venable and Ryan Ludwick drove in a run each for the Padres, who have taken six of their last seven contests and clinched their third straight series win after winning the first two in this set. Clayton Richard (4-9) allowed five hits and a pair of runs over seven innings, while fanning five.LIVERPOOL, England - Glen Johnson scored a late header to give Liverpool a 1-0 win over Stoke on Saturday, ending the Merseyside clubs three-match losing streak in the Premier League.Johnsons goal came in the 85th minute after Paul Lamberts looping header came off the crossbar. Johnson raced to the rebound and the right back headed it into goal, prompting ecstatic scenes at Anfield.Stoke forward Bojan nearly equalized with a volley in added time, but Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolets fingertips came to the rescue and the ball was diverted out for a corner.Liverpool moved into 11th place in the league with 17 points, just ahead of Stoke, which has 15 points.I thought the players were absolutely incredible, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said. It was a hard-fought victory for us, but a well-deserved one, I felt.Rodgers had been under pressure after the team slid down the table following league losses to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Newcastle, and poor performances in the Champions League.Rodgers caused surprise after starting the match with captain Steven Gerrard on the substitutes bench on the 16th anniversary of his debut for the Reds, especially since the clubs matchday program honoured him on its cover. His replacement, Philippe Coutinho, failed to spark any creativity and the 34-year-old Gerrard eventually came on in the 775th. Jamize Olawale Cowboys Jersey. The manager said he wasnt aware of the occasion until just before the match and he wanted to give his skipper a rest after playing against Crystal Palace last Sunday and Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday.Steven is at the part of his career where hes not going to be playing in every game and every minute of every game, Rodgers said. He didnt tell me it was his 16th anniversary. I felt quite bad actually when I looked at the program, whose cover was plastered with images of Gerrard.After a poor first half with no shots on target, both teams hunted for a goal with a series of end-to-end chances in the second interval.Liverpool midfielder Jordan Hendersons 18-yard volley went just wide of the near post in the 51st, after the ball bounced off up for him when a pass from Lucas deflected off Ryan Shawcross.Bojans throughball to Mame Biram Diouf in the 55th brought Mignolet off his line momentarily before retreating. Diouf tried a low shot, but it was scooped away by Mignolets feet. Bojan struck a post in the 61st.Our record here hasnt been great, Stoke manager Mark Hughes said. We thought this was a real opportunity to wipe the slate clean and get a positive result.In the first half, Liverpool created very little. In the second half, it became more open because we were looking for a winner. 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