hampionships in the future and we expect Mark to be a big part of that effort.

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks are parting with senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson, and chief baseball officer Tony La Russa said he and general manager Dave Stewart may also be fired after the season.La Russa announced Watsons departure after a 10-9 win over the Dodgers on Sunday.La Russa said he will eventually meet with owner Ken Kendrick and president/CEO Derrick Hall about his status.If it gets turned over the next person, you gladly turn it over, La Russa said. When were 20 games under .500, I felt if youre looking at the front office, the most responsible person, it would be me.Arizona made an aggressive push to compete in the offseason by giving Zack Greinke a $206.5 million, six-year free-agent contract and trading a bevy of young players to the Atlanta Braves for right-hander Shelby Miller. Greinke is having his worst season in years, and Miller pitched poorly enough to get a midseason demotion to Triple-A, part of why the Diamondbacks are just a game out of last place in the National League West at 63-86.When you have this kind of year, Ive never had a problem taking responsibility, and evidently, stuff that Ive been taught hasnt contributed enough, La Russa said. Well wait and see how the decision comes. Im ready to go forward if theyve seen enough.Watson was in his second season with the club and oversaw the franchises player development and professional, amateur and international scouting departments.La Russa said the team decided not to renew Watsons contract and let him walk before the end of the season so he can pursue other opportunities. Wholesale Fake NBA Jerseys . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Fake Nike NBA Jerseys .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. http://www.fakenbajerseys.com/ .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. Cheap Fake NBA Jerseys .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Discount Fake NBA Jerseys . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands.HOUSTON -- Mark Appel received high praise from MLB commissioner Bud Selig on Wednesday when the No. 1 overall pick signed with the Houston Astros. Speaking at a MLB diversity business summit at a convention near Minute Maid Park, Selig praised Houstons rebuilding efforts. He then likened Appel, a right-handed pitcher, and Houstons 2012 No. 1 pick, shortstop Carlos Correa, to two of the franchises greatest stars, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. "The Astros are on their way to building the foundation that every club needs for sustained success and I believe this club has the right people in place to execute their very sound plan that is going to bring winning baseball back to the fans of Houston," Selig said. "I look forward to the day when players like Carlos Correa and a hometown pitcher Mark Appel ... will be among those who form a new core as successful as Bagwell and Biggio were for so many years." Appel, a polished and well-spoken Stanford graduate, was left speechless when told of the commissioners remarks. "Thats, uh, its very nice words that he said," he said, shaking his head. "Just hearing that comparison is pretty special, especially being a hometown Houston guy. Bagwell and Biggio were two of my favourite players and knowing that Bud Selig sees me and Carlos Correa as potentially the next Bagwell and Biggio is exciting." Terms were not disclosed but Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said it was "the most significant investment" the Astros have ever made in an amateur player. The 21-year-old Appel was 10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA this season. He had 130 strikeouts in 106.1 innings pitched and allowed opponents a .203 batting average. Appel is an Astros fan who grew up in West Houston before moving to California at the age of 12. The Astros had a chance to draft him last year but instead went with the 17-year-old Correea from Puerto Rico.dddddddddddd Appel slid to Pittsburgh at No. 8 last year but turned down a $3.8 million offer and returned to Stanford for his senior season. Appel said when he rejected the Pirates, he wasnt thinking about potentially being drafted by Houston this season. When it happened, he could barely believe how well everything worked out. "Growing up in Houston I came to games at the Astrodome and at Minute Maid," he said. "That was the dream. It was every kids dream to play for your home team and now its a reality. Its still surreal. I dont think its sunk in." The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Appel will be a welcome addition to the hard-luck Astros with his mid-90s (mph) fastball, nasty slider and improving changeup. "Drafting and signing Mark Appel was a top priority for our organization this year," Luhnow said. "We are an organization focused on winning championships in the future and we expect Mark to be a big part of that effort." Astros amateur scouting director Mike Elias raved about Appel and believes he will be a key piece in turning around this franchise which has lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons. "This is what we believe is going to be a high-impact addition to our organization," Elias said. "He is someone who has the potential to be a front-line starting pitcher for a very long time." Luhnow said that Appel will report to Houstons spring training facility in Florida next week and that hell likely begin his professional career at short A Tri-City. He expects him to then move to Single-A Quad Cities and possibly Double-A Corpus Christi by the end of the season. He said he will be at major league camp next season, but that he wasnt sure when he could be pitching in Houston. "Its too early to speculate on timelines," Luhnow said. "We need to get him out there and get him pitching." ' ' '