CHICAGO -- The Cubs recalled infielder Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, weeks after La Stella failed to report to the minors after he was sent down at the end of July.La Stella, 27, told ESPN that he contemplated retirement if he couldnt play for the Cubs major league team, though he stressed that he wasnt upset with management for sending him down, as he was simply caught in a numbers game.On Wednesday, La Stella addressed his teammates and tried to further explain his motivations, beginning with his enjoyment of the game of baseball.It has changed, he said. It dates back to last year. It has changed a little bit. Its not nearly as enjoyable going out and pursuing for myself. My at-bats, how Im doing, everything like that, I got a taste of that last year. Baseball is a team game played by individuals ... for me, its kind of what detracted from my enjoyment of the game in the first place. This year was not about that.It was kind of about going back to the way I used to play it, when it was more enjoyable in high school and college. When you were going for something collectively as a group, and you can share in your teammates successes as though it was your own. This year was a lot better for me.Cubs management decided to work with La Stella instead of punishing him for not reporting right away.Under different circumstances, we would have taken punitive action, but after talking to him and taking the time to understand where he was coming from, things that happened to him in the past, what his thought process was, I didnt think it was appropriate to be punitive, Cubs president Theo Epstein said. I thought it was more appropriate to be supportive to a point.After he went home to New Jersey at the beginning of August, the team placed La Stella on the inactive list. After about two weeks, La Stella decided to report to Double-A Tennessee and then to Iowa before he was recalled Wednesday. He didnt reveal publicly all his reasons for staying away, but he opened up to his teammates.Manager Joe Maddon said it was best to use common sense in dealing with La Stella and said he is pleased with the outcome.I thought I was witnessing a team at its best, Maddon said of the meeting. [He] went away for a bit, came back, talked to the guys, welcomed him back. I think everything worked properly.Tommy is a thoughtful young man who thought a different way in this particular moment. Lets try to get to the root of it, and we did.La Stella was in the starting lineup Wednesday, batting seventh and playing second base. He went 0-for-2 in the Cubs 6-5 win, but he could be an important left-handed bat for the Cubs as they near the playoffs. He feels fortunate that the team was understanding but said he was prepared for the worst, including a release.I didnt expect anything, but that was a very real possibility that I was fully prepared for, La Stella said. Theo is a very special guy. I was very fortunate to have the dialogue between me and him throughout this whole process. He understands people.Pitcher Spencer Patton was sent down to make room for La Stella, who was hitting .295 with a .388 on-base percentage before his demotion. Stitched Jerseys . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.stitchedjerseys.us/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday the letter he wrote to Donald Trump before Election Day was done out of a friendship that goes back many years and was not politically motivated, while Tom Brady said he preferred to focus on football and wouldnt elaborate on his relationship with him.Belichick addressed the letter during a regularly scheduled news conference held hours after the billionaire business was elected president and two days after he read it aloud at a campaign rally in New Hampshire.The letter congratulated Trump on his campaign and praised him for overcoming slanted and negative media to come out beautifully. But Belichick said he writes hundreds of notes every month and that it doesnt mean I agree with every single thing that every person thinks about politics, religion or other subjects.At the same campaign rally Monday, Trump alluded to a phone conversation with Brady in which he said the quarterback offered his support. Brady wouldnt confirm or deny that Wednesday.Im just going to talk about football this week, Brady said. I talked to my wife, she said I cant talk about politics anymore. I think thats a good decision made for our family.But when pressed, he went a little further.I just want to focus on Seattle, he said. I have a lot of relationships with a lot of people in the press and I dont think a lot of people are entitled to what my conversations are with frriends of mine or people I may speak with.ddddddddddddBelichick reiterated that his comments were not about making a political stance.I think anybody thats spent more than five minutes with me knows Im not a political person, Belichick said. My comments are not politically motivated. I have a friendship and loyalty to Donald. A couple of weeks ago we had Secretary of State (John) Kerry in our locker room. Hes another friend of mine. I cant imagine two people with more different political views than those two. But to me, friendship and loyalty are just about that. Its not about political or religious views.Kerry visited the Patriots locker room when they played at Pittsburgh on Oct. 23.I have multiple friendships that are important to me and thats what that was about, Belichick said. So its not about politics, its about football.When Belichick was asked follow-up questions about the letter and whether it caused any division in New Englands locker room, he repeated Seattle five times, referencing that the team is focused on preparing for Sundays game against the Seahawks.We got a huge game this week against a great football team, and a great organization, he said. And thats where it all is going forward. 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