SOSUA, Dominican Republic - Several St. Buy Shoes Black Friday . Louis Cardinals were among thousands of people who crowded into a cemetery near the Dominican Republics north coast for Tuesdays burial of former major league outfielder Oscar Taveras.Some people clutched pictures of Taveras as they walked behind his coffin and entered the municipal cemetery in the town of Sosua. The crowd had started at a nearby church for a brief ceremony ahead of the burial for the 22-year-old slugger, who died Sunday following a car crash.St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak, manager Mike Matheny, second baseman Matt Carpenter and pitcher Carlos Martinez were among the mourners from Taveras major league team.He was my brother, he was my friend, we were always together anytime we went out, Martinez said.The Giants and Royals observed a moment of silence in Taveras honour before Game 6 of the World Series in Kansas City, Missouri.Taveras was killed after authorities say he lost control of his 2014 Chevrolet Camaro on a highway in the popular tourist region of Puerto Plata, north of the capital of Santo Domingo. Officials said his 18-year-old girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, was in the car and also died.The cause of the crash is under investigation.The sluggers father, Francisco Taveras, thanked the crowd for coming and teared up as he spoke at the cemetery.Im extremely devastated about what has happened, he said. I urge young people to wear their seatbelts and to learn from what happened to my son.Taveras was considered one of the majors top prospects, and he hit .239 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 80 games this year. He was scheduled to travel in November to the teams spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida, and then play in the Dominican Winter League.Taveras was a teenager when he signed with St. Louis as an international free agent in 2008. Before this season, he was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America.He homered against the Giants Yusmeiro Petit in his major league debut May 31 and had a big solo drive in the seventh inning of Game 2 in the NL Championship Series against San Francisco.This is a huge loss for us and the Dominican Republic, Matheny said. He was our weapon off the bench and we had plans for him next year. Even though he was only 22, he wasnt afraid of anything. He had a great heart, and this is a tragedy for us. Fake Shoes Black Friday . Directly ahead was open field, the end zone and the Seattle Seahawks place in the NFC championship game. Cheap Shoes Black Friday .com) - Longtime Senators star Daniel Alfredsson returned to Ottawa on Thursday to officially announce his retirement. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ .com) - Mikko Korhonen carded a 5-under 67 on Thursday to claim medalist honors at the European Tours Final Qualifying Stage tournament.DUNEDIN, Florida – In one of his post-game scrums last summer, R.A. Dickey referred to his knuckleball as a "capricious animal," a phrase meant to describe the unpredictability, the figurative moodiness, of his strange pitch. Erik Kratz was behind the plate to start Thursdays 7-5 win over the Phillies. He was catching Dickey for the first time in game action and afterward, could attest to his pitchers apt terminology. Asked how he thought he did on Day One, Kratz turned the tables. "How did you think I did?" He was told he did fine. "Okay, well then I did fine," said Kratz. "It wasnt perfect. I had the anticipated anxiety that I thought I would." Just how anxious was he? "I caught myself not breathing a couple of times and everything like that." Armed with a first basemans glove rather than the oversized catchers mitt preferred by most knuckleball catchers, Kratz understands hell have to be a quick study in learning both the physical and mental requirements of the job. "Just the idea of trying to relax, being out there, getting a different visual but I felt like it went very well," he said. "I felt like there is plenty of room for improvement but I think a lot of things Ive seen in his bullpen sessions, it was good to see in the game. Good to see him be able to change speeds and everything like that." Dickey laboured through the first inning, giving up a lead-off dunk single to Ben Revere. One out later, Brett Lawrie airmailed a throw to second on a Bobby Abreu chopper, putting Phillies on the corners. After Darin Ruf walked to load the bases, a Dickey knuckleball to Maikel Franco eluded Kratz for a passed ball which scored Revere from third. Its not how you would think Kratz would prefer to have drawn it up. Its his first game catching Dickey, in the first inning and the first time with a runner on third and a knuckler gets by him. But he was more than happy to make a mistake in a spring game. Passed balls are going to happen. The key is to not get psyched out; dont make the same mistake twice. "You can say, okay, well, it was a passed ball, wild pitch, it was a tough one to get but you have to be ready for the next one," said Kratz. "I was proud of myself. I was happy about the way I was able to relax." Dickey limits the in-game responsibility of his catcher to receiving his pitch. He calls his own game, communicating velocity to his catcher in ways he wont describe publicly. Hes not going to tip his hand. Dickey doesnt even want Kratz to form a hard target with his glove. "Its probably better for the catcher and for me, for that matter, if hes just nice and relaxed," said Dickey. "Im far enough along in my process where I can pick out a shin guard and hit a fastball. Discount Shoes Black Friday. I dont need him to give me a target. "Plus, if hes only giving a target on fastballs then everybody in the stadium is going to know that hey, if he gives you a target its going to be a fastball and if he doesnt give you a target its going to be a knuckleball so I just like him to be nice and relaxed back there, whatever gives him the best chance to consistently catch the ball." Given the uncertainty over Dioner Navarros ability to catch more than 100 games - since Navarro hasnt done so since 2009 - the Jays are looking for more offence from their second catcher. Kratz, with 18 home runs in a back-up role over the last two seasons with the Phillies, fits the bill. Josh Thole, who caught Dickey and served as the back-up catcher after Henry Blanco was released last June, appears to be the odd man out. "Hes going to play a lot," said Gibbons. "We want to make sure he gets some playing time and then well see how it develops. Kratz is going to catch (Dickey) early on, see how that develops, and then go from there." Dickeys knuckleball topped out at 73 miles per hour on Thursday. He struck out two Phillies over two innings, one on a 61-mile-per-hour knuckler and another at 63 miles per hour. He wants his hard knuckleball at 77 by opening day, his floater at 65. Dickey says hes on target to achieve those radar gun readings, adding hes feeling much stronger than he did at the end of last February, when his knuckleball was topping out in the low-70s in early Grapefruit League action. ENCARNACION HAPPY AT FIRST BASE Edwin Encarnacion chuckled at the suggestion he wants to be, or has asked to be, a full-time designated hitter. "No, whatever the manager wants to do Im ready for it," said Encarnacion. "If I have to play every day at first, Ill play. If I have to play both, Im ready for it." Encarnacion played 79 games at first base last season. He served as the designated hitter on 55 occasions. "I like to play DH sometimes because I have more time to go to the computer, watch the pitcher, watch the video," said Encarnacion. "When you play defence you dont have time to do that but for me, if I have to play first base, I dont have a problem with that." Funny, Encarnacions numbers last season were almost indistinguishable. As a first baseman, he compiled a .272/.367/.527 slash line with 19 home runs in 294 at-bats. As a DH: .270/.374/.530 and 13 home runs in 200 at-bats. ROGERS A FATHER Congratulations to Esmil Rogers, the proud father of a baby daughter. Mom and little Elaina are in Denver and doing well. Rogers was there for the birth, returned to Dunedin on Wednesday and pitched in Thursdays game, giving up two runs in one inning of work. ' ' '