MINNEAPOLIS - After joining Cleveland for the final month, Jason Kubel found himself in a familiar place in Minnesota when the Indians finished the regular season. During that series with the Twins, Kubel stopped in the home clubhouse to see some of his old teammates and coaches. Manager Ron Gardenhire got to the point. "I said, Why arent you in this clubhouse?" Gardenhire recalled. "He said, Well, lets talk over the winter. And we talked." Less than three months later, Kubel signed with the Twins. Hell be at spring training next month on a minor league contract, but if he is added to the 40-man roster he would receive a $2 million base salary. There are bonuses built in, too: $150,000 each for 300 and 350 plate appearances and $200,000 for 400 plate appearances; and $150,000 each for 30 and 60 days on the active major league roster, excluding time on the disabled list, and $200,000 for 90 days on the active major league roster. Thats an extra $1 million waiting for him if hes healthy and productive enough to re-establish himself as an everyday player. "The guy can put some swings on the ball and put it in the seats. He can carry a ballclub," Gardenhire said. "Im not saying hes here to do that, but I think hes going to be very valuable for us if he comes and proves that in spring training that hes still good and healthy." Kubel isnt the only former Twins standout whos back for a second time. Shortstop Jason Bartlett was signed to a minor league deal and will be in camp vying for a spot. General manager Terry Ryan also confirmed over the weekend the team has maintained interest in two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, who is recovering from a second surgery on the left shoulder that kept him out of the 2011 and 2013 seasons. Santana probably wont be ready to pitch until the summer, and hed surely have other teams to pick from. But the theme the Twins are following is clear: leadership ability and winning experience, two important traits theyve largely lacked the last three years while losing at least 96 games each time. Bartlett and Kubel are past their prime, a decline accelerated by injuries, but if theyre healthy they could help enhance the roster. Pedro Florimon is a slick fielder, but even for a shortstop a .278 career on-base percentage wont cut it for long. If the 27-year-old wins the job again, Bartlett could still be in line for a utility spot, competing with Eduardo Escobar. "I feel like a rookie again," Bartlett said over the weekend at the teams annual fan festival, held at Target Field for the first time. Bartlett was traded to Tampa Bay before the 2008 season. He went to the World Series that fall and had a career year in 2009. But his production sharply decreased in 2010, and he was traded to San Diego. Limited by a sprained right knee in 2012, Bartlett was released that summer batting just .133. He didnt play at all in 2013, and he thought his career could be over. He had surgery to fix the knee, though, and the 34-year-old said hes been working out pain-free since. Before choosing the Twins, however, he had to talk to the boss. "He was concerned about if he had a chance to make the club, and I said, Absolutely. You come into my spring training and you prove youre healthy, I know youre a winner. I know you know how to play," Gardenhire said. Kubel signed shortly after Bartlett. "Jason Tyner called me and said, Whats going on? Is this an old-timers game? Do I need to pack my bag or what?" Bartlett said. "That was funny. We have good memories here." Including, of course, the 2006 season when the Twins went 96-66, one game behind the New York Mets and Yankees for the best record in baseball. "We both have been on this team when we were doing well," said Kubel, who also spent time at TwinsFest. "They kind of wanted to bring that attitude back. Theyve got the right guys to do that with." Kubel signed with Arizona for two years and $15 million prior to the 2012 season, but last year he was bothered by knee and quadriceps trouble on his left leg and stumbled to career lows in every significant statistical category. He was designated for assignment and then traded to Cleveland. Just two years ago, though, he hit 30 homers and drove in 90 runs for the Diamondbacks. There are openings in the outfield for him to fill. "It just didnt work out last year," he said. "Healthy now. No issues. ... Im just really excited to get started." Sam Bennett Jersey . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Sam Bennett Flames Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". http://www.hock... . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. [url=http://www.hockeyflamesfanshop.com/Dennis-Wideman-Jersey/]Dennis Wideman Flames Jersey . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Sean Monahan Flames Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club.TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats are poised to become the top-ranked basketball team in the nation, and they can thank T.J. McConnell for the opportunity. The transfer point guard from Duquesne had 13 points, six assists and seven rebounds, making critical plays down the stretch, and No. 2 Arizona escaped with a 63-58 victory over UNLV on Saturday. Brandon Ashley also had 13 points, and Nick Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski added 12 apiece for the Wildcats. However, Johnson shot just 4 for 15. With No. 1 ranked Michigan State falling to North Carolina, Arizona (9-0) seems a safe bet to move to No 1. "I think its something we feel like weve earned," Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. "We know that being ranked No. 1 doesnt mean that we won the championship or the seasons now over, but Im not going to play the negative card at all. ... To be ranked No. 1 is maybe the greatest compliment you can have." Bryce DeJean-Jones scored 16 points, Khem Birch had 12 and Roscoe Smith 10 for the Rebels (3-4) in their first road game of the season. Smith entered the game as the top rebounder in the country at 16 per game. He finished this one with six rebounds, just one on offence as Arizona outrebounded UNLV 41-29, 18-5 on the offensive boards. "There were times I felt that I was boxing out three guys," Smith said. "Arizona is ranked No. 2 and now will be No. 1, so they didnt just get there with no one." There were 18 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points. McConnell sank a 15-footer with 3:10 to play to put Arizona up for good, 58-57. After Dejean-Jones missed a 3-pointer, McConnells pretty bounce pass to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for a dunk made it 60-57 with 2:20 to play. UNLV managed one field goal in the final six minutes, Birchs rebound basket that gave the Rebels their last lead at 57-56 with 3:30 to play. Birch made one of two free throws with 1:52 to go to cut Arizonas lead to 60-58, but McConnell found Ashley for a basket with 27 seconds to go to make it 62-58. McConnell made one of two free throws with 15.3 seconds to go to wrap up the scoring. "Hes in many ways the heart and soul of what we do," Miller said, "and I think you saw that in many ways in the second half.dddddddddddd" McConnell said he "just tried to slow the game down, let it come to me." "I kind of live for those moments," he said, "and I know we all do." There were 30 turnovers in the game, 16 by UNLV and 14 by Arizona. The Rebels shot 64 per cent in the first half (16 for 25) to Arizonas 52 per cent (17 of 33) and led 42-39 at the break. The scoring dropped drastically in the second half, with Arizona outscoring UNLV 24-16. The Rebels shot 28 per cent (7 for 25) in the second half while Arizona was at 32 per cent (11 of 34). Miller said that was the emphasis at halftime, to get back to his teams identity -- defence and rebounding. He praised the UNLV effort, saying he saw a bunch of talented players playing together as a team. Thats the way Rebels coach Dave Rice saw it, too. "We were a confident group coming in here and we felt we had a great week of practice," Rice said. "We spent most of this season getting to know one another and we have made major strides." There were 19 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, 10 by UNLV and nine by the Wildcats. Every one of the seven Arizona players who played in the first half had at least one turnover. The Wildcats led 37-31 on McConnells reverse layup on a pass from Hollis-Jefferson with 3:35 to play. Arizona was up 39-35 on Hollis-Jeffersons spin move inside with just under two minutes to go, but Roscoe Smith sank a 17-footer, Kevin Olekaibe hit a 3 and Kendall Smith scored on a reverse layup to give UNLV its three-point halftime cushion. Arizona scored the first six points of the second half to go up 45-42, but the Rebels scored the next six to lead 48-45 on Dejean-Jones 16-footer with 15:36 to play. A 5-0 spurt regained the lead for Arizona, Aaron Gordons emphatic dunk on a pass from Ashley made it 52-49 with 12:05 to go. Again, the Rebels responded, scoring the next six and the back-and-forth battle persisted. The capacity crowd at McKale Center was decked out in white for the teams annual "white out" promotion. Arizona had lost its previous two white outs, and this one was shaky. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys [url=http://www.hockeymapleleafsonlineshop.com/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-authe... Matthews Maple leafs Jersey[/url] ' ' '

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