ow its an easy meal.McKenzies teammates have noticed the difference in him. The changes go well beyond dropping weight and changing his uniform num

The?Oakland Athletics?have released designated hitter/first baseman Billy Butler with one year left on his contract. Elvin Hayes Jersey . He was hitting .276 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 85 games.It was time to move on, As general manager David Forst said.The at-bats just werent there. Said manager Bob Melvin: We wish him the best, but it just never ended up being a great fit here.Butler acknowledged frustration with a diminished platoon role in Oakland after playing every day most of his career. He believes he still has a lot to offer.You dont have the type of at-bats I have in the big leagues with the type of success I have for not being able to hit both sides, Butler said. I feel I can bring that to a team at a championship level and Ive proven that.Butler made headlines in August when he suffered a concussion in a fight with teammate Danny Valencia.The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the fight began before batting practice on Aug. 19 over what Butler apparently said to Valencia while an equipment representative was in the clubhouse.According to the Chronicle, Butler interrupted Valencias conversation with the equipment rep to say Valencia regularly uses spikes that are in breach of his contract, adding that the reps company should terminate Valencias endorsement deal.Words were exchanged between the two players, and Valencia punched Butler in the head during a brief fight, the Chronicle reported. Butler ended up on the seven-day concussion disabled list.Butler is a career .289 hitter with 146 homers and 724 RBIs in 10 seasons. The 2012 All-Star signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the As as a free agent in 2014 after eight seasons with the Royals.Last year he hit .251 with 15 homers and 65 RBIs.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Mike Newlin Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Aaron Brooks Jersey .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/867z-...ey-rockets.html . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie arrived on campus amid enormous expectations to match his massive physique.One year later, McKenzie wants to produce bigger games with a slightly smaller frame. The sophomore hopes his weight loss allows him to live up to the promise of a five-star recruit with family members who played at Tennessee.McKenzie, who was listed as 344 pounds on Tennessees 2015 roster, says he played between 327-335 last season. Hes changed his body enough that Tennessee coach Butch Jones describes McKenzie as a slim 315 pounds, though the Vols current roster still lists him as 325.It was kind of a shock, to be honest, said McKenzie, who was last 315 as a junior in high school. I didnt think it was really going to happen. Its a great feeling, getting back down to that weight. You just feel a lot better. You can move a lot better. Youre not winded as easily.Much has been expected of McKenzie since he signed with Tennessee. He was rated as a five-star recruit by multiple services and was considered the nations No. 1 player in his class by Scout.Theres also the matter of living up to the family name. McKenzie is the son of Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, who played linebacker at Tennessee from 1981-84 and in the NFL from 1985-92. McKenzies uncle, Raleigh McKenzie, played offensive line at Tennessee from 1981-84 and in the NFL from 1985-2000.They know what it takes, McKenzie said. They were there. They did it. So everything they say to me, I take as a little nugget, something thats going to help me. They did it, so whatever they say clearly worked. I take everything they say and kind of mentally put it in the bank so I can use it for the future.McKenzie had a tough time living up to his billing last season. He didnt play his senior year in high school because of an eliigibility issue stemming from his transfer to Clayton Valley Charter School in Concord, California. Robert Horry Jersey. He wasnt fully healthy in training camp and finished the season with 24 tackles and one sack in a reserve role.As he attempted to improve, McKenzie relied on the advice he received from his dad and uncle. McKenzie said they stressed helping my team whatever way I can to win.Jones noted McKenzie worked very, very, very hard in reaching a more manageable weight.If you put McDonalds in your body, youre going to perform like McDonalds, McKenzie said. Youve got to know what to eat, how to train and things like that. (Its) really just conditioning your mind to be able to take that next step, be able to say no to McDonalds when you know its an easy meal.McKenzies teammates have noticed the difference in him. The changes go well beyond dropping weight and changing his uniform number from No. 1 to No. 99.Ive definitely seen him be more explosive than he was his freshman year, senior defensive end Corey Vereen said. Thats a good sign. (Hes) using his hands better. We were really on him last year about using his hands and not just shouldering people. This is the SEC. You have to use good hand work.That change in approach could help McKenzie produce bigger numbers, though he passed up the opportunity Tuesday to discuss individual goals for this season. He only talked about being one piece of a puzzle as part of Tennessees deepest defensive line in many years.Im just trying to win the national championship with the rest of my teammates, McKenzie said. Everybody, we have the same goal. Were just trying to be the best team we can possibly be.---AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '