fastball -- into left field to snap a 2-2 tie.I know it was a good situation for me, Franco said. I just want to put the ball in play. Something good happened, and Im glad something good happened for me, a

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Melanie Balcomb discovered quickly after her tenure as Vanderbilts womens basketball coach ended that she needed to get back into the game -- and fast.I found out early in the process that Im not a stay-at-home mom, said Balcomb, the 53-year-old mother of two preschoolers. I started thinking about what I could do, what I should do to stay relevant.Three months since her dismissal after 14 seasons at Vanderbilt, Balcomb joined coach Dawn Staleys program at South Carolina as an offensive, analytics consultant. The position, director of coaching offensive analytics, is for one season.Well see how it goes after that, Balcomb said Monday.Balcomb felt her relationship with Vanderbilt fading the past couple of seasons. She had led the Commodores to 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances since taking that job in 2002-03 before missing the field the past two years. Her only three losing marks in the Southeastern Conference came the past three seasons. Balcomb did not want to get into details about her dismissal, saying only: It was time.She wasnt sure what direction to take. She wanted to be home more for 5-year-old son Quincy and 4-year-old daughter Aleya and did not want the traveling another coaching position, head or assistant, might mean with recruiting.She considered TV -- Im pretty candid about stuff, she said -- with some colleagues and friends telling Balcomb she could be the Charles Barkley of the womens game if she stepped in as a game or studio analyst.Balcomb believes there will be time for that later.Almost as soon as she lost her job, Balcomb got offers to join programs as a consultant. Minnesota asked if shed consider consulting on defense, but that side of the game didnt excite her. It was offense where she wanted to impact the game and found a like-minded coach in Staley, who remodeled the point guard position during her Hall-of-Fame playing career.For Staley, hiring Balcomb was a no-brainer after competing against her as coaching rivals both in the Atlantic 10 coaching rivals for two years (Balcomb at Xavier, Staley at Temple) and then for the last eight seasons in the SEC.There is always room to grow professionally, Staley said.Balcomb believes that, too. She expects to grow from her time around Staley, assistants Lisa Boyer, Nikki McCray-Penson and Fred Chmiel.Balcombs new job will keep her at home during the season, something she wanted.What wont change is Balcombs instincts. She said she wont step on any toes, yet understands there will be moments shell want to frantically blow a whistle to stop practice or shout out instructions during a game when something breaks down -- and must restrain herself.Balcomb wont coach on the floor during games and is unsure if shes allowed a spot on the bench this fall. Still, shes is excited about whats ahead and seeing if her time at South Carolina can be a templet for other long-term coaches seeking to stay in the game.Everybody said `Whats next? Whats your next chapter? said Balcomb, whod like to be a head coach again. I dont think I couldve planned this better.Nike Air Force 1 Dame Tilbud .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Air Force 1 Udsalg . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. http://www.danmarkairforce1.com/sf-air-force-1-outlet-danmark.html . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Nike Air Force 1 Just Do It Kaufen . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Air Force 1 Danmark . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night.PHILADELPHIA -- New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom established himself as a rising star last season.Philadelphia Phillies rookie righty Zach Eflin is just beginning to establish himself, period.The two pitchers square off Sunday afternoon, when the Mets and Phillies play the rubber game of their three-game series in Citizens Bank Park.DeGrom (5-4, 2.61) has recently begun to show the dominating form he displayed last year, when he went 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA during the regular season and 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four postseason starts for the National League champions.He has gone 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 20 strikeouts (compared to four walks) in 20 innings over his last three starts, and his last time out he worked seven innings in a 4-2 victory over Miami. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking two.He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning unscathed, and thereafter only allowed solo homers to Giancarlo Stanton in the fourth and sixth innings.(I feel) better than where I started, deGrom said afterward, according to Major League Baseballs official web site. Things are starting to come back, and I was pretty happy about today.He is 3-0 with a 3.03 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies, and the Mets have won all six of those outings.Eflin (2-2, 4.08) was hit hard by Toronto in his first major league start, on June 14, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings, but since then he has gone 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. He earned his first major league victory on July 5, going the distance to beat Atlanta 5-1, then followed that up with a 10-3 victory in Colorado five days later.Over his last two starts, he has gone 15 innings and yielded three runs on 13 hits while striking out nine and walking two.You just cant live in the past, Eflin said of his bouncebaack, according to MLB.ddddddddddddcom. Youve just always got to have your head high. I learn after every outing and I learned a lot after that one (against the Rockies). Ive done a good job of just keeping the ball down and throwing all of the pitches for strikes and keeping the hitters guessing.The Mets won the series opener 5-3, but the Phillies answered with a 4-2 victory Saturday night, as Maikel Franco drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning single.Franco is hitting .370 over his last 18 games, raising his average from .235 to .265, and has 17 RBI in his last 15. His 18 homers and 54 RBI lead the team and are third among major league third basemen, and on Saturday he blooped the first pitch he saw from Mets reliever Hansel Robles -- a 97 mph fastball -- into left field to snap a 2-2 tie.I know it was a good situation for me, Franco said. I just want to put the ball in play. Something good happened, and Im glad something good happened for me, and for my team, too.Franco had shown considerable promise in his first extended big league trial in 2015, hitting .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBI in 80 games, but found himself in the throes of a frustrating slump earlier this season.That is now behind him.He looks like hes staying on the ball better, manager Pete Mackanin said. Hes fouling off some tough pitches to right field. Hes just not flying off the ball like he has been, and hes getting results.Mackanin added that Franco is real close to resembling the player he was a year ago.Hes going to have a good year, Mackanin said. I think hes only going to get better as the season goes along.The Phillies have won 11 of their last 15 games, while the Mets have dropped four of five. ' ' '