PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks traded infielder Ryan Roberts to the Tampa Bay Rays late Tuesday night after designating him for assignment hours earlier. . Roberts, known as "Tat Man" for his multitude of tattoos, was expected to join the Rays on Wednesday. Arizona received Double-A infielder Tyler Bortnick from Tampa Bay. Roberts was Arizonas regular third baseman in its surprising run to the NL West title a year ago, batting .249 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs. But his playing time diminished this season and the team recently called up third baseman Ryan Wheeler from Triple-A Reno. Roberts is hitting .250 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. In the clubhouse after the move was announced, Roberts thanked the Diamondbacks and the fans. "Thats going to be the No. 1 thing thats going to be tough for me," Roberts said. "Ill definitely miss my teammates. Ill definitely miss the fans that supported me when things were good and when things were bad. Thats going to be the thing that hits home the most. Four years here, building friendships knowing everybody from (team president) Derrick Hall down to the batboys." Roberts said his time with the Diamondbacks moulded him into a major league player. "It gave me the chance to be the player that I am right now," he said. Manager Kirk Gibson remembered when Roberts, frustrated by being sent to the minors for the umpteenth time, talked about quitting the game. Gibson said he talked him out of it. "Hes always played hard, to the last game hes played for us," Gibson said. "I have the utmost respect for him and the way he plays. I just would hope that I was just a part of what helped him shape the way he plays. Maybe when he has a great accomplishment someday that I can smile and know that I had an influence in a positive direction." The Diamondbacks activated shortstop John McDonald from the disabled list on Tuesday to take Roberts spot on the roster. McDonald had been sidelined since early June with a back injury. Teams can claim Roberts on waivers, but in the meantime the Diamondbacks have 10 days to work out a trade. Roberts said he was told that the trade was imminent, that the talks with another team were "on the 1-yard line." [url=http://www.ravensofficialteamstore.com/autographed-dennis-pitta-jersey-dh-9... Pitta Jersey . Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland remained the overall leader for a fourth straight day. The cyclists, who opened in Belgium, completed a 197-kilometre ride from Orchies that featured five small climbs to an uphill finish in the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. . -- Noel Prefontaine cant see himself going out like this. [url=http://www.ravensofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jacoby-jones-jersey-mg-8... . Love met with specialists in New York on Thursday, one day after breaking his hand while doing knuckle pushups in a morning workout. [url=http://www.ravensofficialteamstore.com/autographed-ray-lewis-jersey-oz-47.h... Lewis Signed Jersey . Nasri was walking through the interview area when the heated exchange took place after the journalist asked him for a reaction to the loss. Reports said the dispute escalated and Nasri challenged the journalist to take their argument further. . James Andrews following inflammation that landed him on the disabled list in August. An MRI showed a bone spur in the left elbow and the Yankees believe it has existed since he pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 2001-08.LONDON -- Lazio, Napoli and reigning champion Atletico Madrid were among the 13 teams to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League on Thursday. However, there was a setback for another of the competitions big names as Liverpool was held to a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Young Boys, leaving the English sides hopes of progressing to the last 32 in the balance. Liverpool, a five-time European champion, will be eyeing one of the remaining five qualifying spots in the final round of games in two weeks time but others can take it easy. Raul Garcias early goal earned Atletico a 1-0 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv, allowing the Spanish side to progress to the last 32 from Group B with Viktoria Plzen. A goalless draw at home to Tottenham was enough to put Lazio through in Group J, on a day fans of the Italian club were suspected of involvement in a hooligan attack in Rome that led to seven Spurs fans being hospitalized. Napoli won 2-1 at AIK Stockholm to seal a top-two spot in Group F with Dnipro, which beat PSV Eindhoven away by the same scoreline to eliminate the Dutch hosts. Wealthy Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala went through with a 2-0 home win over Udinese, courtesy of goals from Christopher Samba and Samuel Etoo, in the group containing Liverpool. The other clubs booking their last-32 spots on Thursday were Newcastle, Bordeaux, Fenerbahce, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Genk, Sparta Prague and Levante. Athletic Bilbao, last seasons finalist, was knocked out without even playing following the cancellation of its match against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona because of the fighting in Israel. Sparta knocked out Bilbao by drawing 1-1 at already-qualified Lyon in Group I. The top two teams in each of the 12 groups go through, where they will be joined by the eight third-place finishers in the Champions League groups. Liverpool was denied a spot in the knockout stage by two superbly taken second-half goals by Young Boys, with Raul Bobadilla scoring the Swiss teams first goal with an angled volley and Elsad Zverotic clinching a draw in the 88th by smashing home left-footed from the edge of the box. [url=http://www.ravensofficialteamstore.com/autographed-haloti-ngata-jersey-qh-1... Ngata Womens Jersey. Joe Cole, the former England winger and forgotten man at Liverpool, made his mark in a rare appearance by setting up the opener for Jonjo Shelvey in the 33rd and then scoring himself in the 72nd. "Conceding a late goal is disappointing," Cole said. "It was just game management at the end, to see the game out, which let us down. "It was a great finish from the kid at the end, but we made it hard for ourselves. Its a lesson learned." Liverpool plays Udinese away in its last match and will need a win to be certain of qualifying. Paul Gascoigne, Englands star in the 1990 World Cup, was given a heros welcome by Lazio fans as he was made guest of honour for the match between two of his former clubs. A huge banner with a picture of "Gazza" and another with the words "Lionhearted, headstrong, pure talent, real man. Still our hero" were held aloft as the former midfielder walked around the pitch, taking in the acclaim of the fans. The match was disappointing, having already been overshadowed by events away from the Olympic Stadium where some 50 masked hooligans wielding cobblestones, metal bars and knives attacked the Tottenham fans drinking early Thursday. At least one person was stabbed. "It is an extremely difficult moment for them," Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas said in reference to the clubs fans. Tottenham is second in the group and will qualify if it avoids defeat by Panathinaikos at home on Dec. 6. A penalty three minutes into stoppage time by Edinson Cavani confirmed Napolis progress, and ensured the Uruguay forward became the final scorer at AIKs Rasundastadion home, Swedens former national arena. Inter Milan, Lyon, Rubin Kazan, Bayer Leverkusen, Metalist Kharkiv and Hannover advanced a fortnight ago. ' ' '