NEU » ek of preparation and going to Dall

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ryan Mitchell reached out to buddy Michael Doran a few days back to find out his finals schedule at Saint Marys College. If they were both all clear from exams Tuesday, there would be no missing the first office hours hosted by new Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval.The two 19-year-olds left campus in the East Bay hills and picked up food from McDonalds before arriving 75 minutes early. They found themselves first in line for Kavals time.We were expecting a big crowd. I was overly excited and then I got Michael excited about coming, too, Mitchell said. That was cool.Im not going to say no to meeting the As president, Doran added.They heard about plans for an intimate new ballpark and how it would benefit payroll, revenue, keeping star players, and Kaval told them to reach out with any ideas, even at 2 a.m.One of the most intriguing sessions was near the beginning with structural and earthquake engineer Ibbi Almufti, who offered a detailed presentation on his laptop featuring plans and the benefits of a floating ballpark five feet deep in the water- yes, thats right, in the water with the ability to move it around the bay while dealing with almost no earthquake risks.We dont want to capsize this thing, Kaval quipped, and then thanked Almufti with, Its a fascinating way to think outside the box.He offered up any help needed from his company, engineering, architecture and design giant ARUP. It is responsible for some of the worlds most famous buildings, and Almufti pointed to a photo of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Birds Nest stadium.Almufti works in San Francisco and has a 3-year-old son, but I dont want him to grow up as a Giants fan, he said. Thats too easy.The college students and Almufti were among approximately 100 As fans to show up at the Oakland Coliseum as Kaval reached out with an open invitation as he tries to gather ideas for a proposed new ballpark and also improve the fan experience at the clubs current, rundown venue, through thoughtful communication and open dialogue on any and all issues -- good and bad. Bathrooms in the Bar & Grille are need of changing tables, pointed out Shaun Aguilar, who drove in from the Central Valley city of Modesto and attends about 15 games a year now that he has two sons ages 3 and 2.Id love to have you at a game, Kaval said, handing the sales manager two hats for his boys while inviting him to offer more insight along the way.With a stack of pages of typed notes, Aguilar appreciated his brief time with Kaval, offering, I love the As, theyre second in my life after my family.Kaval opened shop at 3 p.m. and met with fans for 5 1/2 hours through dinnertime. People were invited on a first-come, first-served basis for short meetings with him in a suite overlooking the field -- currently rocking a Raiders logo for the AFC leaders. Peanuts, pretzels, popcorn and hot dogs with all the trimmings were provided, along with water, coffee and cocoa on a blustery December day.Hired last month in a restructuring of the As top ownership and management team, Kaval holds the same position with the MLS San Jose Earthquakes. There, he pulled off the building of the Quakes second-year, state-of-the art Avaya Stadium, which boasts the largest outdoor bar in North America.The As, with input from a variety of community leaders, are in the process of evaluating several Oakland sites with consideration to transit, parking, environment and surrounding opportunities for businesses and housing.At the end of each meeting, lasting up to about 10 minutes, Kaval handed out a postcard-sized note thanking fans for attending while providing his email address and Twitter handle for further communication. He will hold further office hours every Tuesday by appointment only.Its like a whole new image for the As starting when he came, said Mitchell, a sports management major who plays pitcher and third base on the universitys club team. New hope. Shoes Canada Sale . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Shoes Canada Cheap . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. https://www.shoescanadaonline.com/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Shoes Canada Free Shipping . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Wholesale Shoes Canada . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning isnt worried about the New York Giants offense despite an awful preseason.The 35-year-old, two-time Super Bowl MVP has been around long enough to know the preseason means nothing heading into the regular-season opener at Dallas against the Cowboys on Sunday.As far as Manning is concerned, the Giants have practiced well in training camp under new coach Ben McAdoo. Its the same offense that put up big numbers the past two seasons, and the talent is still there, particularly at wide receiver with second-round pick Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz joining Odell Beckham Jr.Still, the preseason was ugly, especially the two games in which Manning played. He was on the field for 12 series and hit 14 of 24 passes for 109 yards, one interception and no points.Feel good about where we are right now and what we can do, Manning said Monday after the Giants started preparations for Dallas. So weve just got to go and obviously do it on Sundays and do it when it counts. And so, I feel good about where we are, how I feel within the offense, the players that we have, and I think well be able to go out there and move the ball.While the preseason was awful, Manning said there are playmakers on the Giants who are going to benefit when the team starts game planning.Beckham has been the Giants go-to guy for the past two seasons, and he should have a chance to be even better if Shepard and Cruz give Manning more options.Manning laughed about his lack of playing time in the preseason.Ive got 13 years of a lot of regular-season games and preseason, playoff games, Manning said. So Ive got a lot of snaps under my belt and, you know, you want to get into preseason and get into a little rhythm, but ultimately the goal is to get out healthy and get used to moving in the pocket, those types of things, but yeah, ready to go now.ddddddddddddOne thing that has not changed for Manning is the excitement of a new season, one in which the Giants hope to end a four-year playoff drought.You dont know what the possibilities are, but everybody starts in the same spot, and weve got a chance to do something special this season, and it starts right here, Manning said. This week, having a great week of preparation and going to Dallas and playing smart football, and well see if we can get a win.Game notes The Giants signed 30-year-old quarterback Josh Johnson and waived middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley. Coach Ben McAdoo thinks Johnson can push backup quarterback Ryan Nassib. Hes been trained in a version of the system, McAdoo said. He plays with his cleats in the ground, has a natural throwing motion, and has some good experience. ...CB Leon Hall and LB B.J. Goodson are still going through the concussion protocol. ...S Darian Thompson (shoulder) and LB Jonathan Casillas (ribs) practiced on a limited basis. ... McAdoo on DT Robert Thomas, who was awarded to the Giants on waivers: He plays with great energy. Leverage, he stays on his feet. Tremendous balance and he uses his hands well. Hes active.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '