e Thursday, the Marlins final off day of the season.Fernandez defe

President-elect Donald Trump met Tuesday with several black celebrities, including rap mogul and possible future presidential candidate Kanye West, to talk about some of the issues facing inner city African-Americans.I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future president if we truly want change, West later said in a tweet.Trump met with West, former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis and NFL icon and civil rights leader Jim Brown, along with longtime Trump backer Omarosa Manigault, at Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday. West refused to comment with reporters after the meeting, instead saying only I just want to take a picture right now as he posed for pictures with Trump.A few minutes later, West tweeted from his (at)kanyewest account that he met with Trump to discuss multicultural issues including bullying, education and violence in Chicago.West announced last year at the Video Music Awards that he would run for president in 2020. That means he would face Trump if the president-elect seeks a second term. After meeting with Trump, West hashtagged a tweet (hash)2024, the first time someone would be able to run for president outside of a possible two-term Trump presidency.This all comes as civil rights leaders have been asking for a meeting with Trump to discuss his upcoming administrations positions on issues like housing and urban renewal. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders last week wrote Trump to ask for a meeting to discuss urban policies, and to hold a White House conference on violence.It was not immediately known whether Trump would be meeting with civil rights leaders. Meeting with black celebrities -- especially West -- is not going to give Trump much credibility among black voters, said Leah Wright Rigueur, a professor of public policy at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government.Exit polls showed only about 8 percent of black voters backed Trump.While Trump may see this as establishing a level of legitimacy, it does nothing to validate him among black audiences. Kanyes recent views are outside the mainstream of black political thought, as are Donald Trump, she said. If anything, the association only serves to weaken Kanyes standing, particularly since Kanye has been silent on issues like economic inequality, joblessness, criminal justice reform and Black Lives Matter.Brown and Lewis said they talked with Trump about the new administration partnering with Browns Amer-I-Can outreach program, which aims to teach life skills to young people from poor backgrounds.The full governmental involvement of President Barack Obamas signature program, My Brothers Keeper, which is designed to improve the lives of boys and young men of color, will likely come to an official end at the conclusion of his presidency.Brown said he didnt vote for Trump. But we couldnt have had a better meeting, said Brown, a three-time MVP who retired from football to pursue an acting career and crusade for racial justice. The graciousness, the intelligence, the reception we got was fantastic.Lewis, a former Super Bowl MVP, said on Twitter that wherever Papa JB asks me to go I go. His vision is beyond platforms.After the meeting, Lewis praised the Amer-I-Can program, saying because of it we have 30,000-40,000 former gang members whove changed their lives.If they can partner with the Trump administration, forget black or white. Black or white is irrelevant, Lewis said. The bottom line is job creation and economic development in these urban areas to change the whole scheme of what our kids see.Cheap Nuggets Jerseys . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Nuggets Jerseys China . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. http://www.customnuggetsjersey.com/ . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. Custom Alex English Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Custom Nuggets T-shirts . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.MIAMI -- In tribute to Jose Fernandez, left-handed hitter Dee Gordon stepped to the plate as a righty to lead off the first inning of Mondays mournful game.After one pitch, Gordon switched to his customary left side -- and homered in the first at-bat for Miami since the death of Fernandez in a boating accident.Gordon pulled a 2-0 pitch from New York Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon over the wall in right for his first homer of the season. He tapped his chest after crossing the plate and waved toward the sky, and then sobbed as teammates hugged him in the dugout.It was another heart-tugging moment in a succession of them over the past two days. The Marlins went on to a 7-3 victory.The atmosphere was funereal at Marlins Park three hours before the first pitch, with players going through their pregame stretching in eerie silence.Then someone cranked up the sound system, and bouncy reggaeton reverberated throughout the ballpark. It was a nudge toward a return to normal, as the Marlins and baseball began to move on without Fernandez.The animal race at the end of the fifth inning was canceled, along with other in-game entertainment, and most of the Marlins hitters decided to forgo walk-up music. But there was a game against the Mets, the first for the Marlins since their ace died early Sunday.This is shallow, but the show goes on, Marlins president David Samson said. There has been a lot of talking and a lot of crying and a lot of praying and a lot of trying to make sense of something you cant make sense of. There is no sense to a life ended like that, in a way that is so meaningless.Its our job to make his life matter, so were going to do that forever, and forever starts today.Fernandez made his major league debut against the Mets in 2013 and was scheduled to face them again Monday night in his final start of the season. Instead, Miami and the Marlins mourned the loss of the 24-year-old pitcher, whose talent and captivating personality were a combination unmatched in the sport.Fernandez and two other men were killed when his 32-foot SeaVee slammed into a rock jetty that extends off the southern tip of Miami Beach at about 3:15 a.m. Sunday, a medical examiner said.Fernandez was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday before his start was moved back a day. The change may be the reason he decided to go on the late-night boat outing.If he had pitched yesterday, maybe fate would be different, Samson said. Ive been thinking about that a lot.Manager Don Mattingly said, Obviously it crosses your mind.The Marlins game Sunday against Atlanta was canceled, and when they took the field Monday for batting practice, Fernandezs name and number hovered over the field on the huge video screen. Gordon wore a T-shirt that said RIP, with a photo of Fernandez shaped as the I.For the game, the players decided to wear Fernandezs No.dddddddddddd 16, with hastily made uniforms flown in. His number was also stenciled on the back of the mound.The pregame ceremony included a slow, solemn solo trumpet rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Following the national anthem, New York manager Terry Collins led his Mets across the field to share hugs with the Marlins, and fans briefly chanted Jose, Jose.The Marlins then clustered around the mound and put their hands to the dirt. Some scratched out Joses number or a message of love, and some just rubbed the mound -- his mound. His career record at Marlins Park was 29-2.Fans established a makeshift memorial on the plaza outside the ballpark entrance, leaving dozens of flower arrangements -- daisies, carnations, roses and lilies, the result as colorful as Fernandezs personality. There were also candles, and messages scrawled on balls, balloons, photos and jerseys.The situation was emotional even for the Mets, who are in the thick of the chase for an NL wild card with one week left in the season. On their dugout wall hung a Mets jerseys with Fernandezs name and number.Hearts are heavy, New York outfielder Jay Bruce said. From a professional standpoint, you just try to prepare and play the game and respect the game. But I cant even imagine what its like over in that other clubhouse.Collins spoke about Fernandez in the present tense.He epitomizes what the games about, Collins said. Our game is bigger than a lot of things. It will always go on. Well remember Jose. Youve got to play the game in his honor. He would want to be out there.Plans for a public funeral had not been finalized, but it was expected to be Thursday, the Marlins final off day of the season.Fernandez defected from Cuba at age 15, won the NL Rookie of the Year award and became a two-time All-Star. His enormous popularity in South Florida bridged the divide between the franchise and fans antagonized by too much losing and too many payroll purges.Fernandez left behind a girlfriend who is expecting their first child, the mother who came with him to the United States and the grandmother who helped raise him.On Sunday evening, the entire team took two buses to Fernandezs family home and met for 45 minutes with his mother, grandmother and other relatives and friends.Fernandezs agent, Scott Boras, spoke to reporters near the batting cage -- or at least tried to. He said he paid his respects to the family before coming to the ballpark.His mother wanted me to tell everyone how she felt, Boras said. She showed me pictures of him as a boy. She actually made his uniform when he was 7 or 8, with Cuban red pants.Boras then cut short the interview because he couldnt stop crying. ' ' '