*** NEWS *** » The Minnesota Twins signed first-round draft pick

For both sides http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-christian-miller-jersey , the delay was well worth the wait. There were no contentious contract negotiations in the way, only a College World Series championship for Larnach with Oregon State.

”We figured it would go to the end, because I thought Oregon State was the best team I saw all spring,” Twins scouting director Sean Johnson said. ”They were really built to win that series, so we knew it would take a while.”

Larnach’s standard minor league deal, signed on Thursday afternoon, came with a $2.55 million signing bonus. The slot value set by MLB for the 20th overall selection was $3.12 million, so the Twins put some of that savings toward signing other players in their draft class.

Larnach, a corner outfielder who hit .327 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs this season for the Beavers, batted .417 with five doubles, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in eight games at the College World Series. His two-run homer in the ninth inning against Arkansas helped Oregon State stave off elimination in the second game of the finals , and the Beavers went on to win the decisive third game the following night.

”I would say it’s probably the closest thing you are going to get to playing here in the big leagues Jordan Scarlett Jersey ,” Larnach said as he toured Target Field for the first time before the Twins played Baltimore on Thursday night. ”There are a lot of people at every game. You start playing some SEC teams, and you start hearing them pretty well. It’s all part of it. It’s a wonderful experience, and I wish I could re-live some of it, but you know there are better times ahead.”

The Twins said the 21-year-old Larnach will report to rookie-level Elizabethton of the Appalachian League.

”It’s good to have him in the fold,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. ”I told him to enjoy the experience. I couldn’t really relate to him what it was like to sign at this particular point in my life because it was 40-some years ago, but it was nice for him and his parents to come in and have a chance to talk with them.”

Johnson was on a scouting trip in North Carolina, dining at The Cheesecake Factory restaurant with Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff, when they saw Larnach’s dramatic home run. They weren’t exactly sweating the timing of the signing.

”Twenty seconds before he hit the home run, I’m like, `If he hits a home run here to give them the lead, we can wait another day,”’ Johnson recalled. ”Right on cue David Montgomery Jersey , he hit it. That was the first time I celebrated in a Cheesecake Factory. That was pretty cool. That was a fun moment to watch.”

For Larnach, too, of course.

”My experience at Oregon State, man, it’s pretty unbelievable. I can’t put that into words,” he said. ”I can’t thank my family at Oregon State enough for what they’ve done for me. I’m always going to come back to them and say hi and give them my love and just give back to them as much as I can, because they’ve developed me not only as ballplayer but as a person, and that’s what they promised when I got there.”

—

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After having the toughest two weeks of his firefighting career, Ken Roberts spent his first night off at one of the NFL’s most anticipated games of the season.The Ventura County Fire Department Captain was one of many honored by the Los Angeles Rams during Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Roberts was one of many first responders who received tickets to the game as the Rams honored those impacted the past two weeks by the shooting at a Thousand Oaks bar and Southern California wildfires.“The past couple weeks as a firefighter is the toughest I have experienced,” Roberts said. “To have one monumental event and have the active shooter was enough for one whole career. Then you add on a fire that impacts the exact same area, we just didn’t have a chance to breathe.”The Rams train in Thousand Oaks, where 12 people were killed in a mass shooting at a country music bar on Nov. 7. The next day a pair of wildfires broke out in Ventura and Los Angeles counties http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-riley-ridley-jersey , forcing thousands of people to flee.Roberts got off work Monday morning. He then picked up his wife and son before heading to the LA Memorial Coliseum to enjoy the game with friends and colleagues. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Mexico City before the NFL moved it back to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions.“To come together, take a deep breath and watch some good football is monumental,” Roberts said.The Thousand Oaks Titans youth football team, who trained at the Rams facility last Friday before its Pacific Youth Football League final, were also at the game after being treated to a pregame VIP tailgate party.“It was very hard. We had kids coming in from as far as San Bernardino and Long Beach where they had been relocated. They came every night, just sometimes we didn’t have fields to practice on,” coach Steve Szakos said.Several of the 25 players — including quarterback Jacob Poley — were evacuated from their homes. Poley and his family have returned home, which is still standing.“This has taught me to be more thankful and that nothing is for granted. You have to appreciate everything,” the 14-year old Poley said.The California Lutheran University Choir sang the National Anthem and were joined by first responders, who held the flag. Cal Lutheran alumnus Justin Meek, who was one of the 12 victims in the shooting, was a member of the choir for four years.“They are honored to be singing and share in everything. For these students to go back out and be with other people is good Jonah Williams Jersey ,” choir director Wyant Morton said.Karen and Jordan Helus, the wife and son of fallen Ventura County Sheriff Sergeant Ron Helus, lit the LA Coliseum torch prior to kickoff.Ventura County Sheriff sergeants Jason Robarts and Dave Brantley both knew Helus for over 25 years and said that he would be overwhelmed with the outpouring of support for his family.“Seeing everyone come out it makes you get through it a lot easier,” Robarts said. “The guy was one of the most tactically sound. If there was someone I wanted to go in and deal with a situation it was this guy. What is hard is we had the right person doing the job.”Dylan and Derek Adler, the 17- and 12-year old sons of Sean Adler, served as honorary water boys for the game. Sean Adler was a member of the security team at the bar.“It’s a way to get my mind off everything. It’s almost overwhelming what people are willing to do for us,” Dylan Adler said.Kevin Demoff, the Rams Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, said after the Rams 54-51 victory that the game was one way for the organization to show its appreciation to everyone.“Right after the Borderline shooting you are trying to figure out how to lead your community and 12 hours later you are wondering if you are even going to have a community,” he said. “Our organization saw it not as a challenge but really an opportunity to put the best of Los Angeles and its people on display and I think you saw that tonight.”