OAKLAND, Calif. -- Craig Gentry is committed to doing what he can to help the Athletics win another division crown in 2014. The As added outfield depth Tuesday by acquiring Gentry along with right-hander Josh Lindblom from the division rival Texas Rangers for outfielder Michael Choice and minor league infielder Chris Bostick. The teams announced the deal Tuesday, a day after Oakland traded for AL saves leader Jim Johnson in a swap with Baltimore and also reached agreement on a $22 million, two-year contract with left-handed starter Scott Kazmir. "I definitely didnt anticipate it, it caught me off guard a little bit," Gentry said. "Being on the other side of the white lines from these guys so many years, its a great ballclub." While the two-time defending AL West champion As have their starting outfield returning in centre fielder Coco Crisp, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes and right fielder Josh Reddick, Gentry provides an option off the bench and creates depth. The returnees have dealt with injuries in recent seasons. Gentry said he is comfortable playing all three outfield spots. "I really dont know what my role is going to be," said Gentry, who had yet to speak to the As brass. "Hopefully whatever I can to help the team keep winning and keep up their streak. They handle themselves, they play hard. That team is exactly the type of player I am. I think Im going to fit in well over there." Gentry batted .280 with two homers and 22 RBIs in 106 games for the Rangers this year, while Lindblom went 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA in five starts and three relief appearances over three stints with the Rangers this year. Gentry received a call from Rangers general manager Jon Daniels while on the golf course Tuesday with news of the trade. "Its a big rivalry between Oakland and Texas," Gentry said of his success against the As. For the Rangers, acquiring Choice brings the outfielder back home to Texas -- and he will have a chance to contribute right away rather than be competing to make the big league team out of spring training with Oakland. "Its something Ive always dreamed about, playing at home," said Choice, a Fort Worth native who grew up attending Rangers games while going to high school and college in Arlington. The 24-year-old Choice, taken by Oakland with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft, made his major league debut in September and played nine games late in the season for the As, batting .278 with a double and two runs scored. Daniels considers Choice an option for now and the future. Choice could become the everyday left fielder if the Rangers dont re-sign Nelson Cruz. Bostick played for Class A Beloit in 2013 and hit .282 with 14 home runs and 89 RBIs in 129 games. He drew 51 walks for a .354 on-base percentage and stole 25 bases. 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The London club made the announcement in a statement, naming the German as its new manager on an 18-month contract. While Fulhams statement failed to mention Meulensteens fate, the Dutchman later told BBC Radio 5 that he had been relieved of his duties at Fulham.RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jordan McRae flew in to throw down a dunk on the break and increase Tennessees big first-half lead, then came down the floor to scream triumphantly toward the orange-clad fans near the court. Confident? Check. Enthusiastic? Yep. Maybe playing in the First Four to get the jitters out wasnt such a bad thing for these Volunteers after all. Jarnell Stokes scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help Tennessee beat Massachusetts 86-67 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA Midwest Regional, earning the programs most lopsided win in the tournament in seven years. Now 11th-seeded Tennessee faces 14th-seeded Mercer, which beat No. 3 seed Duke 78-71 on Friday, in the third round on Sunday. The game is a rematch of an NIT game won by Mercer at Tennessee last year. "We didnt come into this tournament saying, OK, if we beat UMass we can play Duke. Not at all," Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. "Our guys understand that its one game at a time. Anything happens this time of year." McRae added 21 points for the Volunteers (23-12), who had little trouble with the sixth-seeded Minutemen (24-9) in a surprisingly one-sided performance. Tennessee shot 54 per cent from the field, led by 20 points before halftime and used another strong defensive performance to shut down UMass. "We just wanted to keep our foot on the gas the whole time," McRae said. With that mentality, Martins club is building momentum at the right time of the season. "They understand and I guess they realize when you defend at the level were capable of defending at, these are the results behind it," Martin said. "Theyve really bought into it and embraced the fact that we can defend the way we defend because you can still score the ball, but scoring is a lot better when you can defend like this. "Theyre just playing with confidence as a team. Everybody understands their role and just wants to win as a family." The Volunteers had missed the past two tournaments and squeaked into this years field of 68, earning a trip to Dayton, Ohio to face Iowa in the First Four. But they controlled the boards and dominated the overtime to beat the Hawkeyes 78-65 in the programs first NCAA game since Bruce Pearls final game as coach in 2011. Martin had said he thought the win helped his Vols get the jitters out -- they didnt score until 6 minutes into that one -- while also giving them a taste of tournament intensity by fighting through a tough game.dddddddddddd He was right. Tennessee protected the ball against UMass pressure by committing three first-half turnovers, while Stokes and McRae led an offence that shot 52 per cent in the first half and kept coming up with press-breaking answers to turn away every spurt. "The Iowa game, we were just getting our feet wet, first time being here," said Jeronne Maymon, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Tennessee. "Then it was time to get down to playing basketball." This was Tennessees biggest margin of victory in an NCAA game since beating Long Beach State 121-86 in the 2007 first round, which came near the start of a six-year run of tournament appearances under Pearl. Stokes 14 rebounds tied the school record for an NCAA tournament game, equaling the mark set by Isiah Victor in 1999 and Reggie Johnson in 1980. Throw in Maymons performance, and it marked the first time the Vols had multiple double-doubles in an NCAA game since 1977. Chaz Williams and Maxie Esho scored 12 points each for UMass in its first NCAA appearance since 1998. But the Minutemen fell behind by double figures early, trailed by 19 at halftime and never got closer than 10 again. "We had a couple of great practices the past couple of days, and I felt like we were going to come out great," Williams said. "But once get under these lights and the crowd starts roaring, you start second-guessing." UMass came in averaging 76 points and shooting 46 per cent, but finished well short of those numbers with much of its production coming after the Vols had seized control. Tennessee led 38-18 on McRaes first-half dunk and pushed the lead to 24 points late. "This dont even seem real right now," said sophomore Derrick Gordon, the only UMass player to have tournament experience from his previous stop at Western Kentucky. "Its just a loss that just like, Man, am I still sleeping? Reality sets in, like we really just lost and it wasnt a loss by like four points. It was a loss by double digits." It was a frustrating finish for the Minutemen under coach Derek Kellogg, who was a player during Massachusetts 1990s surge under John Calipari. He started on a team that reached a regional final in 1995 during a run of seven straight NCAA appearances for the program, but his team never gave itself much of a chance to stick around Raleigh for another game. UMass shot 42 per cent and went 3 for 11 from 3-point range. ' ' '
