Lob & Kritik » in a certain way, he said.Mets general manager Sandy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville coach Rick Pitinos concerns about the early season schedule causing his 12th-ranked Cardinals problems might be merited at some point.Right now, the Cardinals are handling non-conference opponents with surprising ease.Jaylen Johnson had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Deng Adel added 11 points and Louisville jumped on Long Beach State quickly for an 88-56 blowout Thursday.The Cardinals (3-0) outscored the 49ers 23-2 over a 5:28 span in the first half for a 30-8 lead en route to their third straight 30-point win to open the season. Louisvilles height advantage made the difference on both ends as it controlled scoring in the paint 42-20 and rebounding 51-37.Louisvilles fast, effective start toward that end impressed Pitino enough to compare his teams effort to the 2013 NCAA championship squad, which is saying something this early in the season.That was really, really special to see, said Pitino, whose team made 11 of their first 14 shots before finishing at 45 percent (34 of 76) from the field. That was a clinic at the offensive end and a clinic at the defensive end.Johnson helped get the Cardinals going with 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half en route to his second double-double in three games.I just make sure Im more efficient, said Johnson, who made 7 of 11 from the field in 18 minutes.The 49ers (1-3) made just 18 of 61 from the field (30 percent) and couldnt slow the Cardinals in any phase while losing to their second ranked Atlantic Coast Conference foe in three days. Fifth-ranked North Carolina used a quick start to beat Long Beach State 93-67 on Tuesday night.It was similar because we just werent able to withstand that first blow to stay in the game, 49ers coach Dan Monson said. Once we got comfortable, its too late. Games over. You come on these road trips to try to put your kids in adversity to get them better and I dont feel like we handled it any better than we did Tuesday.Mangok Mathiang added 11 points and Ray Spalding had 10 for Louisville. The Cardinals blocked nine shots in winning the first of four games in the Battle 4 Atlantis that continues next week in the Bahamas.Evan Payne had 15 points and Gabe Levin added 12 for Long Beach State, which fell to 0-3 against the Cardinals.THE BIG PICTURELong Beach State: Just when the 49ers seemed capable of playing Louisville close at 7-6, they missed their next 10 shots and 14 of 16 overall in a drought that dug an insurmountable hole. That comes two nights after they trailed North Carolina 14-0. ... Long Beach State committed 19 turnovers leading to 25 Louisville points.Louisville: Good thing the Cardinals dominated the paint, because their perimeter shooting is still a work in progress. Adel and Donovan Mitchell (eight points) combined to make their first three attempts from behind the arc, but the team didnt make another until David Levitch and Ryan McMahon made both their attempts in the second half. Louisville still finished 7 of 20 from long range after entering the game 13 of 43 through two games. ... McMahon and Quentin Snider each had five assists for the Cardinals, who finished with at least 20 in consecutive games for the first time since 2010-11.POLL IMPLICATIONSBarring any movement by teams ahead of Louisville before Monday, next weeks Battle 4 Atlantis matchups could determine the Cardinals ranking for the following week.TIME MANAGEMENTTipoff was 4 p.m. to allow Louisville fans time to watch this game and the third-ranked football teams nationally televised contest at Houston with an 8 p.m. kickoff. Attendance was 14,337, down from the usual sellouts at the KFC Yum! Center.UP NEXTLong Beach State: The 49ers tough early season schedule continues with a visit to No. 16 UCLA on Sunday.Louisville: Continues play in the Battle 4 Atlantis against Old Dominion on Wednesday in the Bahamas.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Trayvon Mullen Youth Jersey . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. 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NEW YORK -- Huston Street believes in some of baseballs oldest, tried-and-true traditions, and the reliever knows team building can be a real benefit, so he considers the elimination of rookie dress up in the new labor deal the loss of a healthy ritual.The Los Angeles Angels closer, like many players expressing their views Tuesday, disagrees with Major League Baseballs ban on the hazing ritual of dressing up rookies in costumes that could be considered offensive, including womens outfits.An effort to show our childlike spirit, or humble ourselves in wearing something funny as a team building moment, is now gone, Street wrote in an email to The Associated Press, but rest assured some other ritual will rise, will be kept far more secret and hopefully its as safe and harmless as uncomfortable clothes.Baseball owners and players ratified their five-year labor contract Tuesday, which contains a new Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Policy formulated by management, rules the union agreed not to contest.New York Mets rookie outfielder Brandon Nimmo was among the last group to participate this past season. In September, he had to wear a wig and dress in the style of the 1992 movie A League of Their Own while fetching coffee and doughnuts in Philadelphia.I guess Im sad to see that go. Im glad that I got to partake in it last year. Wouldnt trade that, Nimmo said at the teams Citi Field holiday party. I felt like it just kind of brought the team closer together, lets have a little fun together.Many retired players were outraged, taking to social media to show their disgust.What a joke!! tweeted Mark Mulder, a big league pitcher from 2000-08.Yet for baseball officials, the decision goes far beyond just good-natured fun.Billy Bean, a big league infielder and outfielder from 1987-95 who came out as gay in 1999, spoke with MLBs labor lawyers as the policy was developed as part of his role as vice president for social responsibility and inclusion.To me its important to be cognizant of the images that our players project to our fans, and I think where for many where it would seem that its common sense that its just all in good fun and being silly, there are many sides to the story and I just think that its a responsible thing to do, he said during a telephone interview. Many players didnt like this tradition but were afraid to speak up.Still, players were stunned.Remember, youre doing this not because you look different or because youre from some far corner of the globe. In fact youre doing this for reasons that couldnt be more opposite, former pitcher Dallas Braden wrote to The AP. Youre one of us. Youre here now, youve made it, youve earned it. Youre a BIG LEAGUER and in the big leagues we dress up and sing just like the Cy Youngs & MVPs who came before us.Many took to social media to express disappointment.Seriously?! Had to wear a Hooters outfit going through customs in Toronto and wore it proudly (because) I was in the Show, former Boston star Kevin Youkilis wrote before deleting the tweet, adding Waay more important topics and problems in the world that need attention.ddddddddddddos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling tweeted a photo of himself and teammates sporting cheerleading uniforms , saying, honored to be one of the last players ever to be dressed up as a woman.Cody Ponce, taken by Milwaukee with the 55th overall draft pick in 2015, tweeted: I looked forward to the whole dressing up as a rookie in the MLB! I never saw it as hazing, just some fun!MLB executives were concerned about photos of rookie dress-ups that appear on social media and might offend some fans and business partners.The world has gotten 2 damn sensitive! This has been a time honored tradition, tweeted Aubrey Huff, a major leaguer from 2000-12 who liked to show off his lucky red rally thong. The world is full of sensitive snowflakes.Vernon Wells, a three-time All-Star during a career that spanned 1999-2013, wondered what was next.BREAKING NEWS: Fans are no longer allowed to heckle players because it hurts their feelings, he tweeted.Many outside the sport thought it was about time baseball comported with the norms of other industries.By banning the hazing of rookies by having them dress in feminine presenting clothing, MLB draws closer to minimizing and hopefully ending discrimination and harassment based on gender identity and expression, wrote Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of AthleteAlly, an advocacy group that describes itself as a straight ally that stands in solidarity with the LGBT community.Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich views costumes as distinct from hazing that involves violence.If were getting so P.C. either as an industry or as a society that we cant make fun of ourselves at times, that would be, I think, harmful to the game in a certain way, he said.Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, a veteran of Dartmouth, Harvard Law School and the Marines, said he had not heard any complaints but still had some concerns.Ive seen it in the military and, for all the camaraderie its supposed to promote, its divisive and I think undercuts morale and so youve got to be very careful about that, he said. Is it constructive? Is it useful? Is it juvenile? Its probably juvenile. Its probably not useful or constructive in too many ways.Superheroes such as Batman and Spider-Man are still allowed, but Wonder Woman, Hooters Girls, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, the U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team, ballet tutus and Lady Gaga are now banned.Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard described teammate Curtis Granderson as the ringleader when the rookie right-hander dressed as the title character from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe at Cincinnati in 2015.Its not really embarrassing for us, Syndergaard said. It was a fun time. Its part of it. Just got to embrace it.---McCauley reported from Oakland, California.AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report. ' ' '