DETROIT -- Dave Dombrowskis latest trade also felt like one of his most predictable. Wholesale Jordans Cheap . There was simply no way the Detroit general manager was going to sit idly by without addressing his teams bullpen. "Weve been working on trying to find someone in the bullpen for an extended period," Dombrowski said. "Its something weve been focused on for a while. For the month of July, at least." The Tigers added one of the games better relievers in a trade earlier this week, acquiring Joakim Soria from Texas, but that may only be the beginning of a significant overhaul in the way Detroit approaches the late innings. Manager Brad Ausmus stuck with his usual routine in Thursday nights win over the Los Angeles Angels, using Joba Chamberlain in the eighth and Joe Nathan in the ninth. But with Soria in the fold, Ausmus now has more options. Detroits bullpen woes are nothing new. The Tigers finally gave up on Jose Valverde as their closer last year, letting Joaquin Benoit handle that role instead. Benoit pitched well, but the grand slam he allowed to Bostons David Ortiz was perhaps the defining moment of baseballs entire post-season in 2013. Benoit left via free agency, and Detroit signed Nathan, who was coming off a sparkling season with the Rangers. The 39-year-old right-hander has slipped badly this year. Even after striking out the side to close out a 6-4 win Thursday, his ERA was an unsightly 5.73. Nathan has shown mild signs of improvement, posting a 3.68 ERA in his last 15 appearances, striking out 21 in 14 2-3 innings in that span. But statistically, Soria has been better this year than any of Detroits current relievers -- and the Tigers gave up a couple promising young arms to get him. Ausmus says hes keeping Nathan and Chamberlain in their usual roles for now -- but Sorias presence means the Detroit manager doesnt have to be overly patient with anyone. Soria struck out 42 with only four walks this season with Texas. As desperate as theyve seemed for bullpen help, the Tigers didnt have to do anything totally irrational to acquire it. Thursdays victory gave Detroit a seven-game lead in the AL Central. The Tigers have had an unusual season. Theyve had winning streaks of eight, seven, six and five, but they also went through a 9-20 stretch that briefly knocked them out of first place. "Even if you win 95 games -- which is real good -- youre losing 67. And there are streaks attached to that," Dombrowski said. "Were a little streakier than I thought we would be as far as losses are concerned. You dont really expect us with our starting pitching staff ... usually when you have strong starting pitching, and some good offence, which we have, that puts sort of a stop to those streaks." The starting rotation has been a strength of this team for the last couple years. Now, the goal is to assemble a bullpen that will enable the Tigers to succeed in tight games when runs are scarce. Chamberlain has been solid in his first season with the Tigers, and the addition of Soria should certainly help. But even if Nathan pitches better, Detroit could probably still use more depth. Left-handed relievers Ian Krol and Phil Coke have generally been erratic. If the Tigers reach the post-season, they could move lefty Drew Smyly from the rotation to the bullpen, where he excelled last year. But there could still be more moves on the way between now and then. "Were still open-minded to getting better," Dombrowski told reporters on a conference call after trading for Soria. "Our bullpen has been a situation that has been our major focus and I guess would continue to be our major focus if we are going to do something." Cheap Wholesale Retro Jordans .C. -- Charles Oakley, one of the NBAs all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas. Cheap Wholesale Jordans Free Shipping . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. http://www.cheapwholesalejordans.com/ .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.SEATTLE -- Steve Ballmers departure from the group looking to bring the NBA back to Seattle isnt derailing lead investor Chris Hansens hopes of getting a team back in the region. Hansen told The Associated Press on Monday that he is confident hell be able to find investors to take Ballmers place in his group that is trying to build a new arena and last year nearly bought and moved the Sacramento Kings to Seattle. Hansen is the majority investor in the project, but said it would likely take more than one person to replace Ballmers investment. Other than Hansen, the only other known partners in the investment group are members of the Nordstrom department store family. Hansen said he wont put a limit on the number of investors at this time. "I think we want to have a reasonable group of partners," Hansen said. "That will be the thing that is probably most missed from Steves involvement. One, hes a great guy and very successful in his career and would have added a lot of insights and value in operating the team. Thats probably the first thing that will be missed from having him as a partner and the second thing, given his net worth, (he) had the ability to be really the only other partner that we needed. In all likelihood there are not a lot of Steve Ballmers in the world with his financial well-being, so in all likelihood I think its reasonable to assume we have a few more partners rather than just one." Seattles hopes seemed to take a blow last week when Ballmer agreed to buy the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion. Among other things, it raised questions about whether Ballmers decision should be taken as a sign that Seattles hopes of getting a franchise are dwindling. Hansen tried to calm those concerns, noting the environmental reviews on the proposed arena site are ongoing aand that he remains committed to continuing the process both with the arena and a team. Discount Jordans From China. . Hansens memorandum of understanding with the city of Seattle and King County on the arena goes through November 2017. "Everybody is very interested in what that means for right now. In six to nine months this will pass and well still be here trying to get our arena built and still be here trying to pursue a franchise and I think that is what is most important," Hansen said. "There is nothing we have to do. We own the land outright. There is no immediate time pressure that we have to do something and thats been very well received by the NBA as well -- the fact were willing to be patient and endure through this." Because of a lack of buzz about the NBA prior to Ballmer agreeing to purchase the Clippers, questions about whether the NHL could be first to land in Seattle have increased. It peaked recently when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman flew to Seattle during the NHL playoffs to meet with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County executive Dow Constantine. Hansen reiterated he does not have an interest in being the majority owner of an NHL franchise. But hes willing to partner with another investor who has that passion for the NHL. That would require a restructuring of the memorandum of understanding and Hansen said any re-writing of the deal would have to be initiated by the city and county. "We would like to be accommodative to get the NHL here. There should be no question about that. Were building this arena as a two-sport building. It has the larger footprint for hockey. Weve worked hard to do that. We would like to do everything in our power to allow hockey to come here in a way that makes sense for the NHL and for a prospective partner," Hansen said. ' ' '