ate even for a franchise that last won a championship in 1908.

CHICAGO -- Theo Epstein is proud of the talent in the Chicago Cubs minor league system. The president of baseball operations thinks Dale Sveum is going to be a successful manager one day. He just doesnt think Sveum is the right guy to help all those prospects become successful major leaguers. The Cubs fired Sveum on Monday after finishing last in the NL Central for the first time in seven years, ending a two-year run that produced more losses than any other stretch in the teams cursed history. "Its absolutely imperative that we create the best environment possible for young players to come up here, continue to learn, continue to develop and thrive at the big league level and win, ultimately," Epstein said during an afternoon news conference. "And thats not an easy thing to do. "A big part of the reason why were here today is because we took a good hard look at that and we decided that we needed to try to get it right before they come up." Sveum was among Epsteins first hires after the executive came over from the Boston Red Sox in 2011. He had little experience as a manager when he agreed to take the job, and he knew the Cubs were at the very beginning of a top-to-bottom overhaul that they hoped would transform them into perennial contenders. He just thought he would get more time to make it work. "You come in and you get a job like this and you want to see it through and so youre very disappointed you didnt get to really get anything started," Sveum said in a parking lot outside Wrigley Field. Sveum, who had one year left on his contract, said he thought he was fine before Epstein said during Chicagos trip to Milwaukee in mid-September that the manager was being evaluated. "That was about when things got started," Sveum said. While praising Sveums time in Chicago and his growth with the Cubs, Epstein disputed the notion that the manager was blindsided by the move. He said Sveum had been aware of some concern in the front office for some time. "We met shortly after the All-Star break, a long meeting, a long, difficult, brutally honest meeting where we explained the areas where we felt like we needed to see improvement," Epstein said. "We told him, We are meeting with you because for the first time there are some concerns about whether youre the long-term guy and you deserve to hear that feedback from us and you deserve the second half of the season to work on those areas." Epstein said he also talked to Sveum before he made his comments in Milwaukee and let him know there were still discussions going on in the front office about whether he would be retained for next season. In the end, they decided to make a change. Chicago went 61-101 in Sveums first season, and then stumbled down the stretch in 2013 while some of its best players were traded away for prospects. The Cubs dropped 41 of their final 59 games, including six of their final seven, finishing with a 66-96 record. But it looks as if wins and losses were not a major factor in Sveums dismissal. Shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, two key young players who have long-term contracts, each took a step back this year. Pitcher Jeff Samardzija also had an uneven season. Talented prospects such as Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Albert Almora and Kris Bryant are on the way, and Epstein made it clear that providing the right atmosphere for those players was a key issue when it came to Sveums dismissal. "Not in all cases, there were some good results this year, some young players emerged, but there were other young players who didnt continue to develop this year," Epstein said. "Thats a collective issue, but its my responsibility to get it right." Sveum, who played a role in the development of sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun when he was a coach in Milwaukee, said he was looking forward to managing those prospects when they got to the majors. "Being here when all these players got here, thats the biggest disappointment, if anything," said Sveum, who isnt sure what hes going to do next season. "You didnt get a chance to see it through." Epstein said previous managing experience will be a point of emphasis in their search, and he plans to complete the process before the general manager meetings in early November. Sveums dismissal likely will ramp up speculation surrounding the status of Yankees manager Joe Girardi, a Peoria, Ill., native who played college ball at nearby Northwestern. The former Cubs catcher just completed the final season of his contract with New York, but he downplayed his connection to Chicago over the weekend. "Theres not as much there as there used to be," Girardi said. With the Cubs focusing on the future and dealing anyone with trade value in an effort to build the farm system, losses have been piling up at a staggering rate even for a franchise that last won a championship in 1908. The Cubs have dropped at least 91 games in three straight seasons for the first time, and they appear to be at least a year or two from making any jump in the win column. Despite those problems and Sveums short stint in charge, Epstein doesnt think he will have to sell the manager opening to any potential candidate. "We know exactly what were looking for and I think were going to find it," he said. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . - Jayden Hart scored once and set up two more as the Prince Albert Raiders downed the host Red Deer Rebels 5-3 on Tuesday to clinch the final Western Hockey League playoff berth. http://www.chinawholesalejerseysnfl.com/. -- Washingtons Bradley Beal seemed to make every shot he took in setting a career high with 37 points. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Carling Bassett-Seguso was a world No. 8 almost 30 years ago. Currently 13th, Bouchard is assured of equalling that when the next rankings are released Monday. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . - Josh Sterk scored twice to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 7-1 rout of the Ottawa 67s in Mondays Ontario Hockey League action.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- After yet another injury, Utah State wound up needing its fifth-string quarterback. Fortunately for the Aggies, they had the Vigil brothers the whole way. Nick Vigil ran for a touchdown and combined with his brother to make 16 tackles as Utah State shut down UTEP 21-6 Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl. Knowing that hes talented, plays on both sides of the ball, praised senior Zach Vigil, who made nine stops and was chosen the games defensive MVP. Thats just who he is, the kid I grew up watching. The Aggies have one of the top-ranked defences in the nation. The Vigils, a pair of linebackers who had combined for 551 career tackles to rank first at the FBS level among active brothers, helped hold UTEP to 149 rushing yards and no touchdowns. Utah State (10-4) won a bowl game for the third straight year. UTEP (7-6) is 0-6 in post-season play since winning the 1967 Sun Bowl. Sophomore Nick Vigil scored on a 3-yard run for a 14-3 lead early in the third quarter. Kent Myers threw for 68 yards and rushed for 70, including a 48-yard touchdown run for Utah State. We had some designed runs, Myers said. Theyre a great defence so I took the opportunity and when I saw a hole I would just take it. The freshman was the fourth quarterback used this season by the resilient Aggies, who had been hampered by injuries. When Myers went down at the end of the first half, Wells called in Ronald Butler, a receiver and fifth-string quarterback, to close out the half. Buutler then rushed for 69 yards in two carries.dddddddddddd Those are the kind of things (that are) hard to coach, Aggies coach Matt Wells said. My hat is off to our players. They earned this win. Wells credited Zach Vigil and the teams seniors for helping the others throughout the game. These guys have done a tremendous job teaching, he said. But besides teaching, theyve showed it. Theyre all about show and their production. UTEPs Aaron Jones ran for 88 yards, but was held to only 3.5 yards per carry because of the strong Aggies line. He came into the game ranked 23rd nationally, rushing for an average of 112 yards. The Miners stayed close with a stingy defence, making an interception and forcing two fumbles. Yet, UTEP committed eight penalties for 75 yards. Several of our penalties were costly today, UTEP head coach Sean Kugler said. We take a lot of pride in not being a highly penalized team. The score was the end result. Neither team threw for a touchdown and combined for only 194 yards passing. Jameill Showers passed for 126 yards for UTEP but often found himself under pressure and couldnt create a passing game to open up Jones for deeper runs. We shot ourselves in the foot because we didnt execute this game at all in the run game, Showers said. They had too much penetration up fro