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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs want Manny Ramirez to mentor their minor leaguers at the very end of a colorful career that includes two World Series titles and a pair of suspensions for positive drug tests. Ramirez signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on Sunday and will be a player-coach at Triple-A Iowa after he gets some at-bats in extended spring training at the teams facility in Mesa, Arizona. The 41-year-old Ramirez is a .312 hitter with 555 home runs in 2,302 games covering 19 major league seasons. Seven of those were in Boston, where Cubs executive Theo Epstein was the general manager of two Red Sox clubs that won it all with Ramirez playing a key role and earning a World Series MVP award. "While Manny is not and will not be a fit on the Cubs major league roster, we do think at this stage of his life hes a nice fit as a mentor for some of the young talented hitters we have in the organization," Epstein said in a statement. "Manny will coach full-time and play part-time in a limited role that does not take at-bats away from our prospects. "If he shows there is still some magic in his bat, perhaps he will find his way to the major leagues and help another team, but that is not why he is here. We are thrilled that he wants to work with our young hitters and make a difference." Ramirez most recently played in the big leagues in 2011, with Tampa Bay. The 12-time All-Star had a minor league with Texas before the Rangers released him last August. "Im at the stage of my life and career where I really want to give something back to the game that I love -- the game that has meant so much to me and done so much for me and my family," he said in a release. "I know I am nearing the end of my playing days, but I have a lot of knowledge to pass on to the next generation -- both what to do and what not to do." Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test while with Tampa Bay, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012. The teaching role for Ramirez is a bit of a gamble for Epstein, who is depending on Chicagos rich farm system to turn around the floundering franchise. The Cubs lost 197 games over the previous two seasons, and began Sunday in last place in the NL Central with an 18-29 record. "The reality is he is a great, great hitter who can provide valuable insight and knowledge," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said before the game at San Diego. Chicagos top hitting prospects at Iowa include infielders Arismendy Alcantara and Javier Baez, a first-round pick in 2011 who is off to a slow start after he was a late cut by the Cubs following a solid spring training. Third baseman Kris Bryant, the No. 2 overall selection in last years draft, is one of the top hitters in the Double-A Southern League and could make it to Iowa by the end of the season. "The Cubs have some very talented young hitters, and I would love nothing more than to make a positive impact on their careers," Ramirez said. "I am passionate about baseball and about hitting, and I have a lot to offer. While I would love to return to the major leagues, I leave that in Gods hands. My focus will be on working with the young hitters, making sure they dont make the same mistakes I made, and helping the team any way I can." Ramirez was selected 13th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 1991 amateur draft and rose quickly through the minor leagues, with a youthful exuberance and natural charisma that endeared him to just about everyone he met. He signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in December 2000, helping the franchise win an elusive World Series championship a few years later, then doing it again in 2007. Ramirez led the American League with a .349 batting average in 2002, finished second the next year, and had an AL-best 43 home runs in 2004. But there was another side to Manny -- his lackadaisical play, particularly on defence and the basepaths, rubbed some managers and teammates the wrong way. "Manny has made real mistakes in the past but he has owned up to them and moved his life in a positive direction the last couple of years," Epstein said in a release. "He is in a really great place right now and wants to share the lessons hes learned along the way. We think he deserves another chance and that our young hitters will benefit from it." Pat Tillman Jersey . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Larry Fitzgerald Jersey .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/Customized/. Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson and Colton Sissons also scored for the Admirals (22-13-10), who are 2-0-2 in their last four outings, while Roussel tacked on an assist for a two-point night. Greg Pateryn scored once for the Bulldogs (20-22-4), who lost their fifth straight contest, and also assisted on Gabriel Dumonts goal. Kurt Warner Jersey . When Reyes signed a US$106-million, six-year deal with Miami last month, there was speculation Ramirez was unhappy about being supplanted at short. But new manager Ozzie Guillen sold Ramirez on the idea. Adrian Wilson Jersey . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults.VANCOUVER - The Canadian womens national soccer team will have revenge and the future in mind when it hosts Japan in an international friendly at B.C. Place Stadium on Tuesday.Canada hopes for redemption after a 3-0 loss to the Japanese in Edmonton on the weekend, but also wants to use the game as preparation for the 2015 Womens World Cup that it will host next summer.Were improving as a nation, said midfielder Desire Scott of Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the (last) result didnt show as we wanted it to, but were making some strides in some areas that were wanting to. So weve got that to build on that coming up in this next game (Tuesday).Scott, who re-joined the team recently from Englands Knotts County, will start after subbing into Saturdays contest in the 85th minute. She will be among lineup changes that coach John Herdman makes as he continues a youth movement designed to mesh 2012 Olympic and previous World Cup veterans with newcomers and achieve a faster pace of play against the globes top teams.The most pressing needs in wake of Saturdays loss are more goal production and defensive discipline. The Canadians played well for much of the game against Japan, the reigning World Cup champion, at Commonwealth Stadium, but struggled from lapses at inopportune times.Defensively, I think were pretty strong — minus the goals, obviously, said Scott. But I think, now, its about finding that quality in the final (offensive) third (of the pitch.)She said the quick turnaround from the last match with the Japanese will provide fresh legs, hopefully, a fresh new mindset and a chance to grow.The fatigue factor will be there, said Scott. Were trying to play it out as if we were in the World Cup, getting used to that quickened game-time turnaround. So itll be good for us. Itll be a lesson to learn.Some young players, including defender Kadeisha Buchanan of Toronto, will play before heading back to their university teams. They will then re-join the national squads Vancouver-based residency program in January.Getting some minutes in is very key, just getting that experience in, just trying to grow throughout, said Buchanan, who has 24 senior international caps and will return to West Virginia after the game. These two games, (the goal) is getting better positioning on the ball. Its like, no shotss, no crosses and just trying to get that shutout that we want and, basically, just getting the win.ddddddddddddIn another notable change from Saturdays contest, goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe of Edmonton will get the start after Erin McLeod, who backstopped Canada to a 2011 bronze medal, played in the first game against Japan.(Labbe) has just qualified for the Champions League (with her Swedish KIF Orebro team), said Herdman. Shes had a terrific season, set records there. So she deserves a chance to play and keep pushing Erin McLeod for that No. 1 spot.He stressed that McLeod is the No. 1 keeper but said its important for Labbe, 24, and veteran Karina LeBlanc of Maple Ridge, B.C., who is still with the national team but not on the roster for these two games against Japan, to keep pushing her.We have to give these keepers a chance to, one, keep showing what they can do but, two, get them ready for that (World Cup) tournament, said Herdman.Herdman is also anxious to give other young players a chance against Japan. He used all six of his substitutes in the first game and could use that many again in the second. This game serves as another opportunity for veterans who led Canada to a 2012 Olympic bronze to mentor newcomers as the senior national program continues its effort to repair a very big disconnect in the development of teenaged and players aged 20-25 in the past.Weve got a wonderful group of women who understand people, said Herdman. They work hard to make sure that young players get it, but also can enjoy it. And, I think thats what weve seen in the last year, where the younger players arent coming in petrified. They actually just feel part of a culture now, and I think they actually get what were trying to achieve, which is to make our country proud.Captain Christine Sinclair said the youth movement has given Canada more depth, which she hopes will translate into more scoring opportunities and tighter play at the back Tuesday.We want to get the ball in the back of the net against them, said Sinclair. We had a couple of chances, but not really golden opportunities.Note: Herdman said midfielder Diana Matheson, who scored the goal in Canadas 1-0 Olympic bronze-medal victory against France in 2012, suffered a knee injury Saturday, but hopes she wont be out long. 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