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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- On the first full day of Major League Baseballs annual winter meetings, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo downplayed reports that Bryce Harpers lofty contract demands have the team prepared to move on when Harpers current deal expires.Its not like us to discuss anything that we talk [about] when were talking to players about anything, said Rizzo on Monday afternoon, addressing a group of reporters in an 11th floor hallway at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Im not going to answer any of those kind of questions. Those are private discussions between us and the players.Earlier Monday, USA Today reported that Harper -- who is set to become a free agent after the 2018 season -- is seeking a contract in excess of 10 years and $400 million, and that because of those demands, the Nationals are inclined to let him go elsewhere when the time comes.With every player that you acquire, its a possibility that you may lose them in a specific time frame, Rizzo told media members at the Gaylord. So with Bryce Harper and every other player that has a contract expiring, you better make plans. Its not just Bryce Harper. Its everybody on the roster.In 2015, Harper became the youngest unanimous MVP ever after a season in which hit .330 with 42 home runs and led the majors in on-base and slugging percentage.But in 2016, the former first overall pick, who turned 24 in October, struggled to replicate his historic MVP campaign. In 147 games, he hit .243 with 24 homers and an .814 OPS that was nearly 300 points lower than a year earlier. During the second half of the season, when he missed five games in August with a shoulder injury, he hit just .226 with a .709 OPS.According to the USA Today report, Harpers agent, Scott Boras, said he hasnt had any long-term discussions with the Nationals regarding his client.Rizzo, whose roster features several high-profile Boras clients, including All-Star hurlers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, said the lines of communication between him and the super-agent are always open.We have discussions with Boras and every other agent on a weekly basis, said Rizzo. Were constantly talking to him throughout the year, throughout the winter, during the season. Its talked about quite often. Theyre not specific negotiations, but theyre discussions. About strategies and philosophies and all those things that come into it.In May of last season, the Nationals agreed to terms with Strasburg on a seven-year, $175 million contract extension. Roshe Two Womens . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Nike Roshe One Slip On . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. http://www.nikeroshesalecheap.com/nike-roshe-two-sale.html . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Nike Roshe One DMB . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Nike Roshe One Print . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Hold on a minute.No. 4 Clemson hasnt even won its own division yet. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan still havent played. And No. 22 Washington State might have something to say about the Pac-12 North title.With three weeks remaining, theres still plenty of time for teams to impress the 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee -- or to trip up in epic fashion, the way we saw last weekend when three of the top four teams lost.Week 12 is another piece of the puzzle, as there are still bubble teams such as No. 14 West Virginia that need a statement win to move up in the rankings. The good news? The Mountaineers will get that opportunity Saturday.Heres a look at who can still impress down the stretch, starting this week:Dont count them out yetNo. 9 Oklahoma?(8-2): The two-loss Sooners are the Big 12s highest-ranked team and can clinch the title outright this weekend with a win at West Virginia and an Oklahoma State loss. OU is two wins away from finishing undefeated in conference play but has yet to beat an opponent ranked in the top 25. That could change Saturday with a win over 14th-ranked Mountaineers in Morgantown. Committee chair Kirby Hocutt recently referenced the Sooners tremendous offense, so OU is clearly passing the committees unspoken eye test at the moment. Theyve continued to bounce back from two early-season losses, Hocutt said Tuesday. Theyre on a seven-game winning streak. The committee believes that Oklahoma is deserving of that 9 spot, and still looking at West Virginia to get a quality win. OU, meanwhile, has the toughest remaining schedule among top-10 teams, according to FPI.No. 10 Colorado?(8-2): The Buffaloes remain the favorite to win the Pac-12 South, and theyve got plenty left on their schedule to earn them a spot in the final top four, starting Saturday against a Washington State team that has won eight straight games. According to ESPNs FPI, Colorado has the toughest schedule in its division. Not only can the Buffs boost their playoff résumé with a win against the Cougars, they also finish the season against No. 12 Utah, and would then likely have a shot at a top-10 opponent in Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. Colorado might be the most legitimate dark horse remaining.No. 11 Oklahoma State?(8-2): Ah, yes, that pesky L next to the Central Michigan game. The two-loss Cowboys are just that in the eyes of the committee: a two-loss team. We treat it as a loss, Hocutt said of the CMU game, which ended in controversial fashion. The question is whether Oklahoma State can overcome it with a Big 12 title. If the Cowboys finish with back-to-back road wins at TCU and Oklahoma, they could be back in the conversation. The win over a ranked West Virginia team is important, and the nonconference win over Pitt looks even better now.No. 14 West Virginia?(8-1): WVU is the committees lowest-ranked one-loss Power 5 team. Hocutt has said in each of the past two weeks that WVUs schedule is holding it back, but Mountaineers fans have taken exception to that, pointing out that No. 9 Oklahoma doesnt have any wins over any top-25 teams, either. The Mountaineers have played only one team ranked in the top 25 (No. 11 Oklahoma State) and they lost, and as Hocutt remarked, the quality win is not there yet for West Virginia. That could change Saturday with a home win over the two-loss Sooners. This is the only remaining ranked opponent for WVU, so it needs to take advantage of it. Its also the only game left that ESPNs FPI doesnt favor the Mountaineers in, giving them a 45.7 percent chance to win.Group of 5: One of the most surprising storylines of the committees third ranking was that one-loss No. 20 Boise State jumped undefeated No.dddddddddddd 21 Western Michigan, and thats in large part due to the fact that Boise State has a win over a top-25 team in Washington State. Boise still needs Wyoming to lose again, though, to have a chance at winning its division in the Mountain West. ESPNs FPI gives Boise State a 46 percent chance to win the Mountain West, second behind San Diego State, which has clinched the West Division. Western Michigan has a 70 percent chance to win out, according to FPI.Dont lose focusCollege football reminded us ever so bluntly last weekend that no game is a gimme. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? Youre out of the top four. Heres a look at the rest of the contenders who cant get caught looking ahead to Rivalry Week:No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes travel to Michigan State on Saturday and are clinging to playoff hopes in spite of their high ranking. Not only can they not afford to lose, they need Penn State to lose again to win the East.No. 3 Michigan: The Wolverines host a pesky Indiana team and could be without starting quarterback?Wilton Speight. This will be the committees first chance to see if Michigan still looks like a top-four team without him.No. 4 Clemson:?If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, it will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If it loses, Louisville will win the division. The Tigers playoff hopes are on the line in Winston-Salem.No. 6 Washington: The Huskies should be able to rebound from last weeks disappointing loss to USC with a home win against Arizona State. Theres only one game more important than the Apple Cup right now -- this one.No. 7 Wisconsin:?The Badgers travel to Purdue, and they can clinch the West Division with a win and losses by Nebraska and Minnesota. Dont count a two-loss Big Ten champ out.No. 8 Penn State:?The Nittany Lions should have no trouble against a Rutgers team that is winless in the Big Ten, but it needs to win out and hope Michigan stumbles once more to win the East.SuperlativesPlayer in the spotlight: OU WR Dede Westbrook. He leads the nation with 1,100 receiving yards since Oct. 1. During that time he has caught 82 percent of the passes thrown his way and has gained a Power 5-high 515 yards after the catch.Matchup to watch: Washington States offense vs. Colorados defense. The Buffs secondary is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Ohio State at 5.5 yards allowed per attempt, and Wazzu QB Luke Falk leads the country with a 74 percent completion rate. The Cougars have an FBS-high eight players with at least 20 receptions each.Upset watch: Louisville at Houston. The Cardinals cant afford another slow start like they had against Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest. Houston receiver Chance Allen said this is our Super Bowl. QB Greg Ward Jr. is still battling an ankle injury that has hindered him all season, but coach Tom Herman said Ward is going to play and give his brothers everything hes got.Dont forget about: Pitt RB James Conner. As if his miraculous recovery from cancer wasnt enough, Conner stands only two touchdowns shy of breaking the ACCs career record for touchdowns scored that is currently held by Virginias Wali Lundy.Under-the-radar game: Navy at East Carolina. The Midshipmen can clinch the AACs West Division with a win over the Pirates.Dubious distinction: Sorry, Cal. You get the award this week. Stanford has won six straight meetings over the Golden Bears in The Big Game, and another this year would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series (Stanford won seven straight from 1995 to 2001), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '