Despite seeing other Eastern Conference playoff contenders add to their teams prior to the trade deadline, Dave Nonis chose to stand pat, saying that although he did make offers on several rental players, the costs proved prohibitive. Jose Osuna Jersey . Im not convinced that adding the players that we could have added would have made us that much better, if at all, Nonis told TSN 1050, adding he thought he owed it to his roster to keep them intact in order to compete for a playoff spot despite the teams seven upcoming UFAs. Dave Nonis on standing pat at the deadline Cheap Pirates Jerseys . The All Blacks played their best rugby of recent years when they beat South Africa 38-27 in Johannesburg two weeks ago, clinching the Rugby Championships in a match which has been hailed as one of the best ever played. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season. LOS ANGELES -- Don Mattingly will be back as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers next season with a new three-year contract that takes him through 2016, quieting speculation that his future with the club was somehow in doubt. A person familiar with the agreement, speaking on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized, said Mattingly is getting a raise from the $1.4 million he made last year. By comparison, Yankees manager Joe Girardi, entering his seventh season in New York, is starting a $16 million, four-year agreement after completing a $9 million, three-year deal. Mattingly had sought the stability of a multiyear deal. "I just want guys to know the organization has confidence in you is important to me as a manager," he said by phone from his off-season home in Evansville, Ind. Mattingly has a 260-225 record in his first three seasons with the Dodgers, who reached the NL championship series this year, automatically triggering an extension of his contract that was set to expire at the end of last season. He was runner-up for NL Manager of the Year last season. Last winter, the Dodgers declined to exercise Mattinglys option for 2014, a move he believed portrayed him as a lame-duck in the clubhouse. In an awkward October news conference after the Dodgers were eliminated by St. Louis in the playoffs, Mattingly said the organization put him in a difficult position by not exercising the option. The front office didnt clarify his status for 2014 that day, which frustrated Mattingly. "I knew my contract had vested. I thought that at least that would have been said that day," he said. "It kind of got left open and thats what got me going a little bit. If I had to do all over again, I would have preferred it to be in-house. I wish I had kept it inside and dealt with it face-to-face with those guys." The next day, the team didnt pick up the contract option of coach Trey Hillman, who was Mattinglys right-hand man on the bench. Will Craig Jersey. . Shortly thereafter, Mattingly spoke with majority owner Mark Walter and team president Stan Kasten, who let him know they wanted him back. "I was comfortable with where it was going to go," Mattingly said. "I knew at that point wed get something done." General manager Ned Colletti said the deal was mostly done three weeks ago, but the club waited until after a flurry of off-season signings and the holidays ended to announce it. "Its well-deserved," he said. "The traits of the man are really work ethic and making sure he can be as successful as he can be and not leaving anything per chance. Thats one of the main reasons I hired him three years ago." Mattingly began his career with the Dodgers in 2008 as a hitting coach under Joe Torre, who mentored Mattingly and endorsed him as a successor after Torre retired. NOTES: Colletti has talked to the representative of star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and he said his camp is in a feeling-out process with all 30 MLB teams. The 30-day window to sign the 25-year-old Japanese right-hander ends on Jan. 24. ... The team has talked to the agent of NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who is eligible for free agency after next season. "Its our desire to sign him here for a very long time," Colletti said. ... CF Matt Kemp is out of the walking boot that was on his sprained left ankle at the end of last season, and hes starting to hit. The Dodgers expect him to be ready by the middle of spring training. ... Colletti would like to sign another infielder to give the team more versatility. ... INF Dee Gordon is playing winter ball in Puerto Rico. ... Pitchers Chad Billingsley and Scott Elbert wont return until midseason after recovering from Tommy John surgery. ' ' '
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