NEW YORK -- Yasiel Puig knew the question was coming. Michael Brockers Jersey . What about that rocket throw to third base Tuesday night? The one you made when the inning was already over? Before it was even translated into Spanish for him, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger broke into the sheepish grin of a forgetful schoolboy who keeps getting sent to the principals office for the same silly offence. And he was ready with a playful response: Blame it on teammate Juan Uribe. See, only a few days before, Uribe and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy, who doubles as a translator for Puig, were marveling out loud about how the young right fielder hadnt goofed in more than a week. Turns out, they jinxed him! At least thats the way Puig tells it. "So when he made the mistake last night," Bundy said Wednesday, "Juan came off the field, he was looking for me and he goes, Lorenzo, hes back! Hes back!" The Dodgers are accustomed to those sort of untamed miscues from Puig -- over-exuberant baserunning, wild throws from the outfield, huge hacks at the plate. They laughed off his latest gaffe against the New York Mets because it was harmless: Puig caught a routine fly for the third out and immediately whipped a laser beam across the diamond to hold an opposing runner who was only headed back to the bench. Puig got razzed in the dugout, for sure. He may have forgotten how many outs there were, but hes been right on point at the plate. The second-year star from Cuba has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games, batting .408 with seven homers and 23 RBIs during that stretch. Hes all over the National League leaderboard, ranking second in RBIs (37) and slugging percentage (.610), fourth in on-base percentage (.427) and fifth in home runs (10). Puig credits Uribe and fellow teammate Adrian Gonzalez, among others, with helping him polish his game. Hes laying off bad pitches and having more disciplined at-bats. Hes hitting the cutoff man and eliminating fundamental mistakes on the bases. "I just think hes making adjustments," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Really his whole game has just matured, so I think that maturity has really been the key for him." All without losing the unique effervescence thats already made him a fan favourite around the majors. "Guys that love to play, you can just see it. And I think thats what people love about Yasiel," Mattingly said. "You get that Little League quality thats just lovin playing baseball. And I think thats what people really like seeing. A guy that plays hard with that energy, and then the talent." The 23-year-old Puig is a rare talent, indeed. That quickly became clear when he burst into the majors with a bang last June. But hes also riled opponents with his antics on the field. Some dont like the way he flips his bat when he connects. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner took exception to that this season and barked at Puig after he rounded third. "Its his style. Its been a way that hes played baseball for a long time," Bundy said, translating for Puig. "He doesnt really worry about the other team or what other players think about him -- other than his team, our team. "He says he tries to play the game hard, he tries to play the game happy. He wants to have a good time when hes playing. He said this is a game of entertainment. He doesnt really play it to offend people, but he does have a good time playing the game of baseball. But he doesnt really worry about the opinions of other teams." Details of Puigs dangerous escape from Cuba in June 2012 were revealed last month in a story first reported by Los Angeles Magazine. According to court documents in a federal lawsuit in Miami, smugglers who helped Puig leave his country on a speedboat have made death threats against him and a boxer who says he defected with Puig. The outfielder signed a $42 million, seven-year contract with the Dodgers, a record for a Cuban defector. And in his first visit to Citi Field this week, Puig has put on quite a show. He got three hits and reached base five times in Tuesdays series-opening victory over the Mets. He and Hanley Ramirez hit back-to-back homers in a 4-3 win Wednesday night. Asked if hed had a chance to do any sightseeing in New York, Puig said he planned to get to the Statue of Liberty on Thursday and maybe the Empire State Building. Wearing a white T-shirt with "PUIG" written in big red, white and blue letters, he said hes still not used to all the attention and he misses his friends and former teammates in Cuba. John Johnson Jersey . On Thursday, they signed former Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Tyrunn Walker Jersey . Rico dove horizontally to meet Andoni Iraolas precise long cross from the right to score his second league goal of the season in the 33rd minute. Two minutes later, Aritz Aduriz netted Bilbaos second when he raced forward and pounced on a poor clearance by Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio, sending a low shot rolling past goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo. http://www.ramsauthenticshop.com/Youth-Troy-Hill-Rams-Jersey/ . Brassard and Coyotes defenceman Derek Morris were battling for position in the crease when a nudge from Morris sent Brassard on top of Smith late in the third period.ATLANTA - Al Horford isnt missing many shots these days for the Atlanta Hawks.Not that it would matter much if he did. The Hawks just keep winning.We always push each other to play hard, Horford said. Thats why I feel like this group is a little different when it comes to that.Paul Millsap scored 20 points and Horford added 19 to help Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta to a 112-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, extending the Hawks franchise record with their 16th straight win.Jeff Teague finished with 15 points and seven of Atlantas 30 assists as the Hawks won for the 30th time in 32 games.Thaddeus Young had 26 points and Mo Williams added 20 for Minnesota. The Timberwolves, who are last in the Western Conference, have lost four straight and 20 of 22.The range of Horford, as a 6-foot-10 centre-forward, is hurting opponents all over the court. Hes hitting long jumpers, occasional 3-pointers and scoring around the basket to cause matchup problems.Horford missed just one of nine field-goal attempts and is shooting nearly 74 per cent and averaging 18 points over his last seven games.I have a good rhythm right now and Im taking open shots, Horford said. My teammates are setting me up. Its easy.The Hawks took their first double-digit lead on Mike Scotts three-point play at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter, and their biggest advantage was 18 on a 3 by Millsap late in the second.Minnesota trimmed the lead to eight several times in the second half before pulling within six twice on Andrew Wiggins turnaround jumper and Youngs putback in the closing minutes.But DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Korver hit consecutive 3s to push lead back up to 12, and Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders called timeout with 2:08 remaining.Saunders said everything he had heard and seen regarding the Hawks turrned out be legitimate. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys. ntil you are there and you play against it, you dont really understand, Saunders said. It took us almost a half to understand how good they really were. Theyre the best combination offensive and defensive team weve played. The second half we went out, we competed. Thats all I can ask.Young was pleased to get to play as a swingman, thus getting more freedom on offence, when Saunders used a bigger front line.It gives me an opportunity to see the floor, being on the wing, Young said. You can see the guys cutting and see the whole floor so its easier to make plays.Korver and Carroll combined for 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists.Nikola Pekovic had 15 points and Wiggins added 12 for Minnesota.Millsap went 8 for 12 from the field and finished with five rebounds, six assists, four steals and one turnover.___TIP-INSTimberwolves: They outrebounded the Hawks by eight, but still lost for the 12th straight time in Atlanta.Hawks: Atlanta, which began the day with the Easts best home record, improved to 20-3 at Philips Arena. ... The Hawks broke their previous franchise mark with their 15th straight win Friday over Oklahoma City.STILL BANGED UPSaunders said after the game that G Robbie Hummel broke his hand in the third quarter and will miss the next four to six weeks. .. The Timberwolves, who are still without G Ricky Rubio and C Shabazz Muhammad, had hoped that G Kevin Martin might be ready to return, but the 11th-year guard missed his 33rd straight game while recovering from a broken wrist. Martin has averaged 17.9 points over 629 career games. ... Rookie G Zach LaVine (elbow) scored two points in 7 minutes. ... G Anthony Bennett (knee) was only able to play 12 seconds.UP NEXTTimberwolves: At Oklahoma City on Monday.Hawks: Host Brooklyn on Wednesday. Black China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo ' ' '