CHICAGO -- Manny being Manny has been a positive so far for the Chicago Cubs. Air Max 270 Economiche . President of baseball operations Theo Epstein praised Manny Ramirez on Friday for his work with the Cubs minor leaguers in Arizona, and said the former major league star could join Triple-A Iowa next week. Ramirez signed a minor league deal in May and reported to the teams facility in Mesa to get some at-bats in extended spring training. When Ramirez moves to Iowa, he will be a player-coach for Chicagos top farm club. "Ive gotten unsolicited emails and texts from a lot of the staff down there saying that hes been a breath of fresh air and the best thing that ever happened to the kids down in Mesa," Epstein said before the Cubs 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "So Im really pleased with the impact hes making on the organization. "Probably sometime next week that hes ready to go to Iowa, but were not in a rush because hes making an impact with the young kids down there who are getting their first taste of pro ball as well as guys like Jorge Soler, who are there rehabbing. Mannys been a really nice influence so far." The 42-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. But the Cubs brought him in to serve as a mentor for some of their young players and insist he is not a candidate for a promotion to the major league club. The addition of Ramirez was a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who was the general manager in Boston when the enigmatic slugger helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and 2007. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. He also has been criticized in the past for lackadaisical play, but Epstein thinks he can be a valuable teacher for Chicagos rich minor league system. "Hes been meeting with the young kids there daily, pulling them aside, talking about hitting, talking about not making some of the same mistakes that he made off the field, really keeping them focused on working hard and having a passion for the game and doing things the right way," Epstein said. When Ramirez gets to Iowa, he will get a chance to work one of the majors best prospects in third baseman Kris Bryant. The No. 2 overall selection in last years draft hit .355 with 20 homers in 68 games with Double-A Tennessee, and then belted a two-run shot in his debut with Iowa on Thursday night. The promotion to Triple-A means Bryant is just one step away from joining the Cubs, but Epstein made it sound as if that would be next season at the earliest. "I dont forsee a scenario where hed be up this year," he said. "I dont think its the right thing to do for someone in his first full professional season, barring extraordinary circumstances both in respect to the player and whats going on at the big league club." Epstein also is pleased with what he has seen so far from this years first-round pick, Kyle Schwarber. The No. 4 overall selection from Indiana University was quickly promoted from Chicagos short-season Class A affiliate in Boise, Idaho, to Single-A Kane County. There is some question about whether Schwarber will play catcher or left field in the pros, but it looks as if that decision can wait for now. "We decided this year, his first exposure to pro ball, were going to have him see a lot of time in left field, let him catch about once a week, maybe twice a week, so he can stay fresh with his catching, DH some so that he can keep his bat in the lineup when he needs a day off," Epstein said. "Then were going to sit down at the end of the minor league season and see whether its an appropriate time to make a call." Air Max 95 Scontate . Patty Mills scored 15 points, Tim Duncan had 10 points and 11 rebounds in limited minutes, and San Antonio trailed for only 11 seconds late in the first quarter of a 103-90 victory over Portland on Wednesday night. Air Max 95 Outlet Italia .J. -- Fabian Johnson scored his first international goal and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead after a defensive lapse as the United States beat Turkey 2-1 Sunday in the second of three World Cup warm-up matches for the Americans before they head to Brazil.DALLAS -- Kari Lehtonen credits one save in the second period with making his 100th victory with the Dallas Stars possible. Jamie Benn and Colton Sceviour scored goals 15 seconds apart in the first period Thursday night, leading the Dallas Stars to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. "It was just one of those things at the right time. Sometimes you make a good save, sometimes you dont. That one gave me a lot of confidence," Lehtonen said. "It was a 2-1 at the time, and everything took off from there." Barely a minute into the second, Lehtonen stopped Jannik Hansen with a glove save. "The defining moment in the game was that save he made in the second," teammate Rich Peverley said. "It could have been a 2-2 game right there." Vancouver (20-11-6) lost on the road for the second time in three nights following a seven-game winning streak. They had earned at least a point in eight consecutive games. The Stars won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak Nov. 13-17. They also have won both games against the Canucks, with Lehtonen allowing only one goal in each game. Dallas (17-12-5) started fast, taking six of the first seven shots on goal, including Benns goal at 4:34 and Sceviours third in four NHL games this season at 4:49. Erik Cole had a goal and two assists, and Tyler Seguin and Peverley added two assists apiece for Dallas. But it was Lehtonen who made the biggest plays. He stopped short-range shots by Hansen on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush and by Brad Richardson 2 seconds after Ryan Keslers penalty expired midway through the first period. Canucks coach John Tortorella also noted the importance of Lehtonens saves. "Lehtonen made some great saves at key times. Weve seen that before against him. Yeah, we couldnt score and the third one hurt us." Cole scored Dallas third goal at 16:56 of the second. His shot trickled past goalie Roberto Luongos right side and across the goal line. "It was a wrister," Luongo said. "I think it might have fallen between my legs or something. But whatever it is, its inexcusable at that point in the game." In the third period, Coles backhand pass set up Valeeri Nichushkin in the right faceoff circle, and his shot beat Luongo. Scarpe Nike Outlet Italia. "(Cole) put the puck on the net and somehow got a goal," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "And he made a heck of a play on Vals goal. (Cole) is a big man, and hes hard to control." Tortorella then replaced the goalie with Eddie Lack. Luongo stopped just 15 of 19 shots. Lehtonen made 26 saves and allowed only one goal, to Chris Higgins at 7:38 of the first. Dallas goalie had allowed 10 goals during his previous two starts and 23 in compiling a 2-3-1 record over the last six. "Ive had a rough go the last couple of weeks, so its nice to have a good game," Lehtonen said. "That made me more relaxed." Ruff said, "He got some big, timely saves." Lehtonen said of his 100th win, "I didnt know about it until just after the game when they announced it. Hopefully, Ill have a lot more." Vancouvers second shot of the game was Higgins goal from the right faceoff circle. The Stars had the games first power play midway through the period, but the Canucks had the best scoring chances, by Hansen and Richardson. Dallas finally broke through for a 3-1 lead on Coles goal. Cody Eakin beat Luongo with a shot 22 seconds before the period ended, but the goal was waved off because of an interference penalty against the Stars Ryan Garbutt. "I think we started really well. We were generating much of the offence," Lehtonen said. "They bounced back in the second period." But the Canucks failed to score in the second despite a 13-5 advantage in shots. "We knew they were going to come out with a push in the second," Ruff said. "I think in the last 10 minutes of the period, we got back on our game." NOTES: Canucks defenceman Ryan Stanton didnt play after injuring his ankle injury midway through Tuesdays shootout loss at Minnesota. He flew back to Vancouver from Minneapolis. . Dallas defenceman Sergei Gonchar entered Thursdays game with six assists in the three previous games and eight in the last seven contests. He didnt score a point, but did have two takeaways. . Cole and Nichushkin scored Dallas goals in the 2-1 victory at Vancouver Nov. 17. ' ' '