and the Seahawks struggled in the first h

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter gave Yangervis Solarte some assistance with Yankee Stadium tradition, then the rookie helped make the captain a winner in his final home opener Monday as New York beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2. Austin Hedges Jersey . Jeter doubled high off the left-field wall and scored on Jacoby Ellsburys first hit in pinstripes in the fifth. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings in the Yankees 112th opener in New York. In what manager Joe Girardi said would be a season-long lovefest for Jeter, the shortstop was cheered every step of the way by an adoring crowd of 48, 142 -- even when his double-play grounder back to Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) scored Solarte in the third inning for the first run. Solarte, a career minor leaguer and non-roster invitee to spring training, continued a torrid start as the suspended Alex Rodriguezs replacement at third base with a go-ahead RBI single in the fourth inning. Playing in his first game in the Bronx, Solarte needed Jeter to tell him to wave to the Bleacher Creatures when they chanted his name during pregame roll call. The Orioles got RBI singles from Matt Wieters and Nelson Cruz in falling to 2-5. Adam Jones and Chris Davis struck out against Adam Warren with a runner on in the eighth and trailing 4-2. Shawn Kelley pitched a perfect ninth for his first career save. Minutes later, the Yankees said closer David Robertson would be put on the disabled list with a strained groin. After missing all but 17 games last season, Jeter announced Feb. 12 his 20th season would be his final one. His retirement tour started on the road, where New York went 3-3 against Houston and Toronto. But Jeter, who went 1 for 4, has said the season doesnt really start until the Yankees have had their home opener, and to help celebrate the team brought together the five-time World Series champion Core Four. Recently retired teammates Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera threw ceremonial first pitches to Jeter and Jorge Posada, who retired after 2011. With an era coming to a close, change was evident everywhere. Robertson moved into Riveras locker. Carlos Beltran was given Robinson Canos choice spot next to the door leading to the players off-limits sanctuary. And the only evidence that Rodriguez -- banned for the year because of his involvement in the Biogenesis drug scandal -- is still a member of the Yankees was in a new series of paintings hanging in the hallway leading to the clubhouse that celebrate New Yorks recent World Series championships. A-Rods nameplate was not above his locker and the new plush chair sitting in front of the stall did not have a No. 13 embroidered in the seatback. Solarte scored New Yorks first run, starting the third with a walk after falling behind 0-2. He advanced to third when Brett Gardner, the only holdover starter from last years opening-day lineup, lined a sharp single to centre field and Jones was slow to get the ball into the infield. Solarte scored on Jeters double-play ball back to Jimenez. Solarte went 1 for 3 and is 9 for 20 this season with six RBIs. The Orioles got the run right back in the fourth when Jones singled, moved to second when Gardner made a leaping catch in foul territory down the line in left on Davis popup and scored on Wieters single. Leading 2-1, the Yankees chased Jimenez in the fifth after Brian Roberts walked to load the bases. But Zach Britton entered and walked Kelly Johnson to make it 4-1. Jimenez yielded four runs and eight hits, walked five and struck out four in his second shaky start since signing a four-year contract in February. NOTES: The Yankees improved to 14-2 in season openers Jeter played in. ... SS J.J. Hardy was not in the starting lineup for the second straight game because of back spasms. "Hes better than he was yesterday," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. ... Orioles LHP Johan Santana (shoulder surgery) was set to throw a two-inning simulated game. ... Yogi Berra was at Yankee Stadium but did not participate in the pregame ceremony. Granddaughter Lindsay Berra tweeted a picture of him with Girardi, Posada and Reggie Jackson. ... Ellsbury had seven hits in the Yankees opening road trip before putting on the home pinstripes. Hunter Renfroe Jersey . - A Tuesday funeral is planned in Toronto for 20-year-old Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford. Freddy Galvis Jersey .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. http://www.padresrookiestore.com/Padres-Trevor-Hoffman-Kids-Jersey/ . Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots.RENTON, Wash. - Where others saw discord and dissention, and another Super Bowl champion headed down the path of an early end to their season, Pete Carroll saw a challenge.A challenge not much different from what Seattle went through on its way to the title a season ago. Call it the Seahawks version of the Super Bowl hangover.Theres an obvious effect because youre unique in what youve done, and we addressed it from the first meeting we got back here and ... we figured it out; it just took us a long time, Carroll said. It just took us longer than we would like, but the thing that happened this year just happened in different order than it did last year.After starting the season 3-3, the Seahawks closed with a six-game win streak to finish 12-4 and earn home-field advantage through the playoffs. The Seahawks will host either Detroit, Arizona or Carolina in the divisional round next Saturday.It was a stunning turnaround, considering Seattles pedestrian start to the season and the surprise October trade of Percy Harvin to the New York Jets.I hate to keep going back to last year, but we did win the Super Bowl last year. And through that process at the end of the season when you go through the parade and get the ceremony and get the ring, it makes you forget how hard it was to get to that point, to reach the mountaintop, Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said. I think a lot of that pressure we had at the beginning of the season when we were 3-3 — from the media, from ourselves — we kind of let that feed into the negativity and forgetting that it wasnt easy last year.Seattle has already bucked the recent trend as the first Super Bowl champion to reach the post-season since Green Bay won the NFC North in 2011. That was the first layer of history the Seahawks had to overcome. Now is the chance to be the first team since New England in 2004 to repeat.When I went into this year with the thought that this is a very unique chance at showing that you can handle all of that, Carroll said. Its been difficult for people, and the history of it shows you that its hard to come back and get yourself back into this kind of position again.But being a Super Bowl winner has not equated to post-season succcess recently for those that have gotten back to the playoffs. Clayton Richard Jersey. The last defending champion to win a post-season game was New England in 2005. The Patriots beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round before being ousted by Denver in the divisional round. Since the Patriots win in 2005, four other defending champions have reached the playoffs. Three were division champions — Indianapolis in 2007; the Giants in 2008; Green Bay in 2011 — who were knocked off at home in the divisional round. New Orleans was a wild-card team in 2010 and lost at Seattle.Thats the next piece of history for the Seahawks to try to overcome.Many have pointed to the trade of Harvin as the turning point for Seattles season. The deal went down on a Friday as the team was leaving for St. Louis, and the Seahawks struggled in the first half of their 28-26 loss to the Rams. In-season trades in the NFL are scarce enough. Even rarer is an elite team giving away a key player rather than acquiring a need.Only four trades were made in-season in 2014, including Harvin being sent to the Jets. New England made a pair of deals, getting linebackers Jonathan Casillas from Tampa Bay and Akeem Ayers from Tennessee. St. Louis acquired safety Mark Barron from Tampa Bay.The only other team in the last three seasons to trade away a starter in-season and make the playoffs the same year was Philadelphia. It sent defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga to New England in late October 2013.It would be far too simplistic to say Seattles turnaround was tied solely to the Harvin trade, but it did refocus the team offensively. Through the first five games with Harvin on the roster, Seattle averaged 28.2 carries and 149.8 yards rushing per game. In the 11 games after the trade, with the Seahawks relying more on the running of Marshawn Lynch, they averaged 34.9 carries and 183 yards rushing.Not surprisingly, the Seahawks went 9-2.I think we returned to the strength of knowing our guys, how to use them, and how to implement their strengths, Carroll said. We always talk about unique qualities that players have, and we may have lost connection with some of that.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap Baseball Braves Jerseys Cheap Baseball Marlins Jerseys Cheap Baseball Mets Jerseys Cheap Baseball Phillies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Nationals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cubs Jerseys Cheap Baseball Reds Jerseys Cheap Baseball Brewers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Pirates Jerseys Cheap Baseball Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Baseball Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Baseball Rockies Jerseys Cheap Baseball Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Baseball Padres Jerseys Cheap Baseball Giants Jerseys ' ' '